Chinese tourists kidnapped by fake police in Thailand, ransom paid
Five Chinese tourists were kidnapped from a hotel in the capital of Thailand. The kidnappers demanded a ransom of roughly £60,000.
This story might sound like it's straight out of a crime movie, but it tragically occurred. At the end of April 2024, five tourists from China were kidnapped by an organized criminal group.
Scammers posed as police officers
As reported by The Nation, on April 25, a group of men posing as police officers broke into the hotel room where the tourists were staying. The unsuspecting hotel guests were accused of violating local law.
The scammers told the tourists to go to the police station for further investigation. Hotel surveillance footage showed the group of men leading them out of the facility and driving away in four cars.
The officers investigating this case discovered that the scammers demanded the tourists to transfer a total of roughly £60,000.
After receiving the ransom, scammers released the tourists
Fearing detention and torture, the tourists transferred the specified amount. The kidnappers, somewhat civilly, then released them. The kidnapped tourists reported the incident to the police, and the fraudsters were identified and arrested. A total of ten people were arrested.
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Among those arrested were a police sergeant who had previously worked in the police communication centre during crises and the chief investigator in Bangkok, who was discharged from service in 2023. One member of the criminal group remains at large.
