A guy called ‘Bank Lester’ passed away after chugging down bottles of hard liquor as part of a supposed paid challenge.
A Thai influencer tragically lost his life after accepting a dare for $875.
Thanakarn Kanthee, who went by ‘Bank Leicester’ on social media, was only 21 when he collapsed and died on December 25 in the Tha Mai area of Chanthaburi, Thailand, as reported by the Bangkok Post.
The young man from Bangkok was allegedly hired to show up at a birthday bash where he was coaxed into downing bottles of whiskey for cash.
Kanthee was reported by The Nation Thailand to have received 30,000 baht for downing two 350ml bottles during a challenge, which is about $875.
Unfortunately, it didn’t take long for him to start feeling unwell after finishing the challenge.
After he threw up and lost consciousness, he was quickly taken to Songpeenong Hospital, where he was sadly declared dead at 3:40 AM on December 26, just a few hours after arriving at the party.
While Thanakarn’s death has been attributed to acute heart failure, autopsy results are still pending to determine if alcohol played a role or if he had any other health issues, as reported by Thai Enquirer on Facebook.
Before his untimely passing, the influencer was a student at Ritthiyawannalai School and made a living selling garlands.
He gained popularity on Facebook after sharing rap songs aimed at attracting buyers.
It’s thought that Thanakarn took on dangerous stunts to help support his family and grandmother, with another video surfacing of him drinking hand sanitizer.
One of his Facebook posts stated: “I’m ready to face bullying and insults just to scrape together some cash from wealthy folks to take care of my family.”
In a post just days before he died, he shared: “These days, I really don’t care who dislikes me or who has a problem with me. I’m just focusing on the people who matter to me.”
If someone doesn’t like me, that’s on them, not me. My focus is on making money and finding my own happiness, and that’s all that matters.
On Saturday, police arrested two more social media influencers, Ekachart “Em” Meephrom from Chanthaburi and Theerawat Srirot from Pathum, as part of the investigation into Thanakarn’s death, according to The Independent.
If it’s proven that the victim was paid to consume the lethal dose, those responsible could face charges under Section 291 of the Penal Code for causing death through negligence.
Convictions for this offense can lead to a prison sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to 20,000 baht ($580), or both.
Since then, tributes have been pouring in on his Facebook page, with friends remembering him as a ‘really good person’ who brought smiles to everyone.