Man held for 2 suspected murders including girlfriend

A man allegedly killed two people including his girlfriend in separate incidents in Vaasa and Laihia on Saturday, police said on Monday.

Police arrested the man in his 1990s on charges of killing his girlfriend after setting fire to a residence at Palosaari in Vaasa and deliberately hitting a private car with his car in Laihia resulting death of the driver of that car.

After the preliminary investigation, police said that the suspected two murders were linked to each other.

The link between the murders was revealed when police arrested the suspect after a collision between two private cars on Vaasantie road in Laihia, a municipality under Ostrobothnia region on Saturday morning.

Police suspected the that the accused steered his car into the front of another car coming from opposite direction intentionally.

Driver of that car died on the spot while two other passengers were injured critically. Another car was also damaged, and its driver was slightly injured in the incident.

After the collision the suspect left the scene on foot and took shelter in a locality about three kilometres away from the spot.

Police conducted extensive search immediately after the incident and arrested him from the locality.

Police interrogated the suspect and knew that the car collision occurred following another incident of arson at Palosaari area in Vaasa.

Based on the information from the suspect a police patrol in Vaasa immediately rushed to an apartment building found smoke around the house.

Responding to an alarm from police, the rescue service people reached there and extinguished the fire in the apartment.

They also found a woman dead in the apartment.

Based on the preliminary investigation, police suspected that the woman was killed in the fire, which was set intentionally.

Police said that the deceased and the suspect were in a relationship.

Police, however, said that they have no information about previous domestic violence between the woman and the suspect.

Police said that the suspect provided them with information regarding his role in the incidents.

Police, however, did not divulge detail identities of the suspect and the victims.

They are investigating into the incidents as two murders, two attempted murders, aggravated vandalism and aggravated endangerment of traffic safety.