In a shocking incident, four immigration police officers in Thailand are facing arrest for allegedly kidnapping a Chinese man and his female interpreter and extorting a large sum of money from them, SCMP reported on March 21.
According to Deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn, the incident took place on March 10, 2023, and came to light after the Thai woman filed a police report. The duo had fallen victim to an immigration scam while trying to renew the Chinese man’s passport and visa at a government office in Bangkok.
After officials rejected the man’s application, the duo left the government office and returned home. However, five men abducted them from their residence and forced them to pay a ransom of 1 million baht (US$29,170) in cryptocurrency. The captors also forced the man to transfer 30,000 USDT to them through the imToken app. The victims were eventually released and reported the incident to the police.
Further investigation revealed that four immigration police bureau officers were linked to the case. Arrest warrants have been issued against the officers, and the Chinese man has fled back to his home country. The victims were also in the news again on Monday after their car was waylaid by a motorcycle-borne assailant. The man received a ransom call demanding 1 million yuan (US$145,500) for his relatives’ freedom, and he handed over 200,000 yuan (US$29,100) in cryptocurrency to the suspect.
This incident has brought the spotlight on Thailand’s immigration police officers and their methods. While the officers claimed to be innocent, their involvement in the incident raises serious questions about the safety and security of foreigners in the country. The incident is also a reminder of the dangers of dealing with cryptocurrencies, which are increasingly being used by criminals to extort money from their victims.
The Thai government needs to take swift action to ensure that incidents like these do not occur again in the future. It is crucial that they investigate and punish those involved in the incident, including the immigration officers, and provide adequate protection to foreigners in the country. The incident has caused a lot of concern among the expat community in Thailand, and the government needs to take concrete steps to address their concerns and ensure their safety.
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This article was republished from azcoinnews.com