Man arrested for kidnapping 9 month old baby in Bangkok

Police arrested a man yesterday after he kidnapped a nine month old baby from his grandparents in Bangkok and travelled to the eastern province of Rayong.

The 54 year old Laotian man, Inthak Peun, filed a complaint with Bang Na Police Station in Bangkok after his nine month old grandson named Martin was kidnapped. Inthak said the suspect was a Cambodian colleague, later identified as Noi Saengwan.

Inthak stated that he thought Noi was part of the LGBTQA+ community because he had long hair and often wore feminine clothes. He wore a yellow T-shirt, long jeans, and high-heeled boots on the incident day.

Inthak explained that Noi had recently begun working at the same construction site as him a week before the incident. Noi often visited and played with Martin, so he and his wife did not find his actions suspicious when he took the child.

Inthak further explained that Noi came to play with Martin as usual in the afternoon of May 7. Noi informed him that he would take Martin to a nearby convenience store to buy some toys but never returned.

Inthak clarified that he is not Martin’s biological grandfather. The baby’s parents left him at the construction camp after birth, and he and his wife decided to take care of the baby.

Inthak and his wife tearfully told the media that they were worried about their grandson and feared that Noi might be involved in organ trafficking.

Suspect expects baby

The incident was widely shared on Thai social media. A netizen provided a crucial clue, stating that Noi and Martin took the BTS train from Silom Station to Hua Lamphong Station at about 5.30pm. Later, witnesses saw Noi and Martin at the Mor Chit bus terminal before they disappeared.

Another netizen alerted Martin’s family and the police Noi was on a coach bus from Bangkok to Rayong at 8.30pm. Police tracked down Noi and managed to arrest him at Rayong Bus Terminal at about 11pm.

Noi and Martin were brought back to Bang Na Police Station, where reporters gathered to question his motive. According to ThaiRath, Noi claimed he loved Martin and wanted him as his own child. However, he refused to explain why she took the baby to Rayong.

When questioned by police, Noi claimed he was travelling from Rayong to Chantaburi, where he was going to work.

Noi insisted that he was a Thai national, not Cambodian as Inthak claimed, but was unable to sing the Thai national anthem when officers asked. The police were also unable to find his details on the civil registration data as well. Noi added that he was previously arrested on a drug case and jailed at Bangkok Remand Prison.

Police are now conducting further investigation on Noi’s identity and nationality. He initially faces two charges:

• Section 310 of the Criminal Law: retraining or confining another person. The penalty will be imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
• Section 317 of the Criminal Law: taking away a person aged under 15 years old from parents or guardians. The penalty will be imprisonment from three to 15 years and a fine from 6,000 to 30,000 baht.