According to local media sources, five Indian nationals have been detained in Thailand for reportedly kidnapping three other Indian tourists, holding them captive, and demanding a ransom of ₹40 lakh from each victim’s family. According to Thai authorities, the suspects were allegedly following orders from a Pakistani national who was purportedly working out of Dubai and intended to accept cryptocurrency ransom payments.
According to the Bangkok Post, which cited police, the five suspects were taken into custody on Tuesday while they were waiting to board a departing aircraft at a hotel in Bangkok’s Khlong Tan neighborhood.
Avtar Singh (38), Jagjit Singh (38), Rambalak Kumar (24), Sukhbir Singh (37), and Kulra Singh (27) have been named as the suspects.
The suspects allegedly told detectives during questioning that they had received instructions to kidnap the three Indian tourists from a Pakistani national they had met through a messaging app over the previous month.
The story claims that the purported mastermind, who is headquartered in Dubai, planned to use bitcoin to collect the ransom. According to the police, after completing the operation, the suspects were offered cash, valuables, and flight tickets.
According to investigators, the victims were enticed to Pattaya by the prospect of an inexpensive seven-day vacation package. Rather, they were allegedly transported to a home where they were tortured and held captive for a number of days until being freed by authorities on Monday night.
According to The Nation newspaper, the inquiry started on July 21 after the Indian Embassy in Thailand notified Pattaya City Police and Chonburi Immigration Police in response to complaints from the victims’ family.
The story claims that video call recordings that the victims’ relatives released showed the guys allegedly being beaten while their hands and feet were shackled. According to reports, the kidnappers sought ₹40 lakh (USD 41,831) in ransom from each victim’s family.
Police stormed a two-story townhouse in Pattaya on Monday in response to intelligence reports and security camera footage. The three victims, Mohit (23), Ashish (24), and Himanshu (20), were rescued. The victims were discovered held individually on the second floor of the residence, their lips taped and their wrists and feet bound, according to police who spoke with The Nation.
They also had evidence of an attack. Investigators found red spray paint, which they think was used to stage photos and videos of the victims, sticky tape, and a wooden instrument purportedly used in the assaults. Their families are said to have received the pictures in an attempt to coerce them into paying the ransom.
According to the article, the rescued men also informed police that another Indian national had previously been kept captive at the same location and was purportedly freed after his families paid a ransom of about ₹30 lakh.
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