SA KAEO, Thailand – Immigration police in Sa Kaeo have arrested a group of four police officers and one civilian accused of kidnapping five Chinese nationals, detaining them in a remote location, and demanding ransom payments for their release, May 18. The incident took place in Wang Sombun district, where the Chinese victims were reportedly traveling with a Thai driver when they were stopped around 2 a.m. by a group of suspects, who identified themselves as law enforcement officers and claimed the individuals had violated immigration laws.
Instead of being taken to a police station for legal processing, the victims were allegedly transported to an unmarked house in a forested area in Wang Mai subdistrict, where they were handcuffed and threatened. The suspects reportedly demanded 10,000 USD per person, or approximately 300,000 baht each, totaling around 1.5 million baht. Two of the victims, under pressure, reportedly transferred cryptocurrency payments as a deposit of 2,000 USD each (around 120,000 baht), with transaction evidence found on their mobile phones. The case came to light after one victim secretly sent a distress message via LINE to an immigration officer in Pathum Thani. This led to a coordinated operation involving immigration police, local investigators from Wang Sombun Police Station, and military forces from Burapha Task Force, who raided a secluded house and found suspects guarding the premises.
Authorities confirmed that four of the suspects were active-duty police officers, including officers from Highway Police, Khlong Hat Police Station in Sa Kaeo, and Ban Phaeng Police Station in Chanthaburi, along with one civilian accomplice. Police also seized four handguns, 24 rounds of ammunition, and two Toyota pickup trucks. Investigators said a fifth suspect, an additional police officer holding the rank of captain, was also allegedly involved but was not present during the raid as he had left to buy food and drinks. Authorities are now actively tracking him down. All five suspects have been charged with serious offenses including unlawful detention, abuse of authority, coercion, and misconduct in office. The civilian suspect is charged as an accomplice. All deny the allegations at this stage of the investigation and have been handed over for further legal proceedings. (TNA)
