Thai CSD captures kidnapping gang demanding 600,000 baht ransom in major sweep

In a major operation yesterday, led by the Crime Suppression Division’s (CSD) special weapons and tactics unit, four suspected gang members involved in kidnap cases were taken into custody across southern and northeastern Thailand.

Beginning at 6am, a significant deployment of 80 members from the Hanuman taskforce initiated raids on eight distinct locations. These included three in Yala, four in Narathiwat, and one in Khon Kaen.

These arrests come in response to an incident that occurred last year, September 5, which involved a group of heavily armed men kidnapping an individual from a residence situated in the district of Rangae in Narathiwat. The man was taken captive in a building where he was physically assaulted, an attack which left him with a fractured rib.

In the aftermath, the culprits proceeded to contact the victim’s family members, making a demand for 500,000 baht (US$ 14,208) in exchange for his release. They issued sharp threats of severing the hostage’s ears or subjecting him to additional cruelty should their demands go unfulfilled, reported Bangkok Post.

Family members of the victim agreed on a compromised amount of 300,000 baht (US$8,525), promising the remainder would be settled subsequently, to which the kidnappers consented. The ransom was collected from a designated location in Sungai Kolok and following this, the captive was released, thereafter, gotten by his family.

Nevertheless, relentless calls demanding the remaining ransom from the kidnappers continued to plague the victim’s relatives. Out of concern for their well-being, an additional sum of 100,000 baht (US$ 2,841) was handed over. Yet the torment from the kidnappers persisted, pushing the relatives to finally lodge a complaint with the police in the Rangae district and later with the CSD.

An investigation by the CSD exposed the gang to be mostly composed of previous rangers, defence volunteers and insurgents. As a result, arrest warrants were set in motion for five suspects, with two being identified as 39 year old Abdulroning Salae and Andi Mama, 33 years old.

Abdulroning was arrested at his residence in Yala, whereas Andi was nabbed at his home in the Sungai Kolok district of Narathiwat. In Khon Kaen, another suspect, who is yet to be identified, was arrested by the CSD police force.