A Thai gamer was found dead with his smartphone in his hand after being killed from a suspected electric shock while it was charging.

Billy Wongpajan, 24, was spread-eagled and wearing only shorts when he was discovered by his stepfather inside his bedroom in Buriram province on March 6.

The avid gamer was checked upon by family members after failing to answer his door. They called the emergency services when he was unresponsive.

Medics arrived and pronounced him dead at the scene as there were no signs of a pulse. He had two red scars on his fingers with no signs of a struggle inside the room.

Police Lieutenant Decha Butwiset said: 'The local rescue team informed us about the dead man, that's when we rushed to the scene with the paramedics. We believe the man had been dead for four hours.

'There were two red marks on his fingers and no other injuries on other parts of his body. We believe he had been electrocuted while sleeping.'

The young lad was lying on his back while holding his charging phone which led authorities to believe that a strong electric current passed from the device and shocked his body.

Shocked stepfather Udom Tiangtum, 62, said: 'My son loved playing phone games, whenever he was free, he had the phone in his hand. After dinner, all he ever did was play games.

'The past few nights I heard my son moaning in his bedroom and I always thought he was sleep-talking. Even on the night he died, I also heard the same sound.

'I believe the power from the phone might have flowed through his fingers and killed him.'

Police said that the family had accepted the cause of death and there would be no further investigations into it. His body was taken to the local Buddhist temple for a funeral.