On October 22, 2024, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Pol. Lt. Col. Nopphasilp Puensawat, provided updates on the kidnapping case of three Chinese students who were held for ransom. He confirmed that they believe Thai individuals are involved in the crime, and authorities are currently tracking down those responsible.
On October 20 at around midnight, a university professor and a group of Chinese students reported the disappearance of three first-year students. The students later sent a message via the WECHAT app asking for help, indicating they had been kidnapped and that their captors were demanding 300,000 Yuan (approximately 1.5 million Thai Baht). They warned of danger if the money was not paid by noon of the same day.
Following this report, the police verified the identities of the victims, who are Chinese nationals: 18-year-old Mr. Qi, 20-year-old Mr. Yu, and 18-year-old Ms. Sun. Their friends mentioned the trio had been looking for work and had responded to a Facebook hiring post from a Chinese employer for a high-paying job involving product delivery from Mae Sot to Bangkok, unaware of the nature of the goods.
The students communicated with the employer, who was located in a neighboring country, and traveled to Mae Sot to meet with someone for the job. On October 17, they arrived at Don Mueang Airport and later checked into a resort in Mae Sot. By 5 PM that day, they were picked up by a vehicle and taken to a location in Phob Phra district, where they eventually sent out their ransom message.
After police investigation and coordination with local residents, the three students were located in a forest area in Mae Sot. They were found unharmed and received initial care before being taken to a safe house while attempts were made to contact their families. It was revealed that the students had been taken to Myanmar for the ransom.
During their time in captivity, they reported being threatened by 6-7 armed men who demanded 300,000 Yuan from each student, warning that failure to pay would result in them being handed over to a call center gang in Myanmar. One student managed to negotiate and had his mother send 100,000 Yuan but was still released before the others could comply.
Authorities suspect an organized group is behind the kidnapping, including possible involvement from Thais, and operations are ongoing to arrest those responsible, particularly the person who drove the students away from the resort. They reassured that this incident would not negatively impact Thailand’s tourism, emphasizing it was a case of a small criminal group.
This article was rewritten from a Thairath’s news article.
