Ransom and dung: Kidnapped Japanese man’s faeces ordeal stinks in Bangkok

A Japanese victim sought help from the Investigation Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau (IDMB) after one Thai man and two Japanese men kidnapped him, forced him to eat faeces, and demanded 300,000 baht ransom from him.

The Japanese victim, whose identity remains undisclosed, filed a complaint against the two Japanese suspects and the Thai man at Chok Chai Police Station and Phaya Thai Police Station in Bangkok after he was rescued by the Japanese Embassy.

The three suspects are identified as a 45 year old Japanese man named Niki Fuku, a 26 year old Japanese man named Tomiki Asai, and a 35 year old Thai man named Pao.

The victim explained that the three suspects kidnapped him and took him to a house at an unknown location. They demanded 300,000 baht from him, claiming it was for his visa renewal. He was unable to provide the full amount and could only transfer 135,000 baht to them.

The suspects then took him to an empty plot of land and threatened to kill him if he could not pay the remaining amount. The victim insisted he transferred all he could, prompting the suspects to relocate him to a hotel on Kaset Nawamin Road in Bangkok.

In the hotel room, the victim was physically assaulted throughout the night and forced to eat faeces. He seized a chance when the three rested to contact officials from the Japanese Embassy, who came to his aid.

The Thai man, Pao, was arrested following the complaint, but the two Japanese suspects remained at large until yesterday, November 6. The two Japanese nationals were later arrested at a hotel in Chon Buri, where they were staying in two connected rooms.

Deny allegations

Officers searched the rooms and found illegal items, seizing 179,000 baht in cash along with their belongings, which included cannabis, three mobile phones, two tablets, two bank account documents, and a designer-brand bag.

Niki denied all allegations, claiming he evaded arrest on the advice of his lawyer but maintained he had done nothing wrong. He said he liked Thailand because, although he was arrested for cannabis use four times in his home country but did not face the same issues in Thailand.

Niki claimed he brought all his savings, amounting to 1 billion yen (about 222 million baht), to Thailand to use cannabis freely. He added that he wanted to stay in Thailand because of the welcoming Thai people.

According to Niki, he operated a cannabis shop and an international parcel delivery business in Thailand. He met Pao at a cannabis shop, where Pao invited him to invest in various businesses. However, Niki alleged that Pao defrauded him of 135 million baht.

Niki said Pao was living a luxurious life in his home in the Nuan Chan area of Bangkok, while he had to move between different resorts in Chon Buri to avoid arrest.

At present, the police have not yet verified Niki’s account to determine its truthfulness. They plan to investigate further into the abduction case as well as their business dealings in Thailand. The police have urged anyone who may have previously fallen victim to this gang to come forward.