Thai police have arrested the ringleader of a Chinese kidnap-for-ransom group that allegedly cut off the finger of a compatriot after holding him captive in the eastern resort city of Pattaya.
A man surnamed Ren went missing along with his car at midnight on Sunday, his girlfriend Alisara Supasiribundit said in a police complaint.
Alisara added Ren’s younger brother contacted her the next morning and told her that his sibling had been abducted. He showed her a video clip of the victim being tied up with duct tape over his eyes and the little finger on his left hand getting severed and bleeding heavily.
The video was sent to Ren’s brother on Telegram with a ransom demand of 30 million baht (US$793,000), The Pattaya News reported.
Alisara and Ren’s brother transferred 150,000 baht (US$3,970) to the gang via a cryptocurrency platform before police raided a house in Chonburi province, about 100 kms southeast of the capital Bangkok and rescued the Chinese national.
He was later sent to hospital for treatment, but did lose his finger.
Officers also found Ren’s car at a reservoir in east Pattaya. Broadcaster Channel 3 reported the group’s boss was caught at a condominium in Bangkok’s Ekkamai neighbourhood and a manhunt had been launched for the other perpetrators.
Comments from the online community in Thailand blamed the incident on the country’s immigration laws and the culture of corruption in the police force that have allowed immigrants “live like a mafia”.
“Foreigners dare to do evil in our country because they know that Thai law and Thai civil servants are lame,” a Facebook user wrote.
Others said Thailand’s pro-economic immigration policies had led to proliferation of drugs, illegal gambling and human trafficking. They called on authorities to conduct background checks on visitors who come to the country. – SCMP
