5 immigration police face 15 years in prison for kidnapping Chinese man

Five Immigration Bureau police officers face 15 years in prison for kidnapping two Chinese men and a Thai interpreter in March last year for a ransom of 10 million baht. A Thai man who aided the corrupt police operation faces 10 years in prison.

The Thai interpreter, 38 year old Namee Saelee, filed a complaint against five immigration police and a Thai man on March 20, 2023, saying the gang kidnapped her, her Chinese boss named Qi, and her boss’ male friend for ransom on March 10 that year.

According to Namee, the corrupt police officers abducted them from outside Qi’s house in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok on March 10. Officers told Qi that he was arrested for stealing the identity of a Thai citizen and offered Qi a chance to escape the charge by paying them money.

Qi asked his son for help, and the son transferred 10 million baht worth of cryptocurrency to the gang in exchange for everyone’s freedom.

The five police officers and a Thai man were arrested that year. They were reportedly identified as Police Major Sorrawit Inthalup, Police Lieutenant Suriya Lookkachart, Police Senior Sergeant Major Peerasak Yimpaiboon, Police Lieutenant Prawit Phonjungread, Police Sub-lieutenant Jiraphat Boonnam, and a Thai man named Surachai.

The Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases announced the penalties for each suspect yesterday, February 12. The five immigration police officers were punished under Section 149 of the Criminal Law: requesting, receiving, agreeing to receive property or benefits, and committing illegal acts while in an official position.

The charge carries a penalty of five to 20 years in prison, life imprisonment, or a fine of 100,000 to 400,000 baht. In this case, the court decided that the five officers should be jailed for 15 years each. The Thai man, Surachai, faced 10 years in prison for assisting the authorities in the illegal operation.

Channel 7 reported that the Chinese victim, Qi, stole the identity of a Thai netizen. The Chinese man fled Thailand immediately after paying the corrupt cops.

UPDATE: 3 police arrested for kidnapping Chinese man and Thai woman

Din Daeng Police Station apprehended three police officers from Immigration Division 1 yesterday following allegations made by a Thai woman that they kidnapped and extorted 1 million baht from a Chinese man. The three suspects denied the accusations, and one officer involved in the incident is currently on the run.

According to the complaint filed by a 38 year old Thai woman, Namee Saelee, on Monday, March 20, six Royal Thai Police (RTP) officers kidnapped her and her Chinese employer, 62 year old man named Qi, on March 10.

Namee explained that the officers threatened to charge Qi with using the stolen identification card of a Thai citizen and demanded US$60,000 (about 2 million baht) in exchange for Qi’s release. After negotiation, Qi’s son transferred US$30,000 in cryptocurrency via the imtoken application to the criminal gang.

After conducting an investigation, the Metropolitan Police Division 1 found four police officers from Immigration Division 1 guilty.

Three officers, including police major Sorrawit Inthalup, police lieutenant Suriya Lookkachart, and police senior sergeant major Peerasak Yimpaiboon, surrendered themselves at Din Daeng Police Station yesterday, while another officer, police sub-lieutenant Jiraphat Boonnam, remains at large.

Despite the compelling evidence against the suspects and the victims’ statements, the three accused officers continue to deny the allegations and have refused to address the media about the matter.

The officers added that there was another Thai citizen involved in this criminal action. The person will be summoned for questioning.

The Deputy Commissioner of the RTP, Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, questioned the three suspected officers yesterday. He believes the group has committed similar crimes in the past and pledged to investigate their financial transactions to uncover the entire criminal network.

Big Joke confirmed that the four police officers involved in the incident have been dismissed while the case is under investigation. He has promised that justice will be served, and each officer involved will be punished according to the law, without exception.

ORIGINAL STORY: Thai woman accuses RTP of kidnapping, extorting 1 million baht from her boss

The Royal Thai Police (RTP) are in the headlines once again for all the wrong reasons after a Thai woman accused RTP officers of kidnapping and extorting 1 million baht from her boss in the Din Daeng district of Bangkok. Police reported that initial CCTV footage revealed that two of the men in the criminal group looked similar to Immigration Bureau police inspectors but it wasn’t conclusive.

Namee Saelee filed a complaint at Din Daeng Police Station yesterday, reporting that she and her Chinese employer, 62 year old Qi, were kidnapped on Friday, March 10, by a gang of six men, who looked like RTP officers.

The 38 year old Thai woman revealed that she had been hired by Qi as an interpreter to help him with his passport and visa renewal at the Chaeng Watthana Government Complex on the day of the kidnapping.

Namee met Qi at his house in Soi Pracha Songkhro 2 in the Din Deang district of Bangkok and Qi’s friend drove them to the visa renewal complex. However, they were told that Qi did not have the correct documents so they returned home to recheck the paperwork.

Upon their return, they noticed three sedans parked in front of Qi’s house, and a group of six men who looked similar to RTP officers were waiting for them. The group and Qi’s friend appeared to know each other.

Namee claims that the gang then bundled her and Qi into different cars and drove off. One of the men claimed to be a police officer and interrogated her about her relationship with Qi. She told them that she met Qi last year and worked for him as an interpreter.

Namee reported that the gang drove along Chang Wattana Road for four to five hours before releasing them back to Qi’s home in the evening.

Qi later confessed that he was living in Thailand illegally and that he was using the stolen identification card of a Thai man. Qi revealed that his friend, who drove them to the visa renewal office, managed all the documents for him, and betrayed him.

Qi also revealed that the gang demanded US$60,000 (about 2 million baht) from him, and threatened to charge him with forging his identity card if he refused to pay. Qi eventually negotiated and paid US$30,000 to the gang. He asked his son to transfer the money in crypto to the criminal cryptocurrency account via the imtoken application.

Namee revealed that she has been unable to contact Qi since the incident and later learned that he had returned to China to live with his son. She was worried about her safety and wanted to know whether RTP officers were involved in any criminal activity.

Din Daeng Police Station officers revealed Qi was using the Thai ID card of a 55 year old Thai man named Saroj Thongkamai who lived in Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok.

They also found that two of the six people in the gang looked similar to police inspectors from the Immigration Bureau.

An investigation is ongoing to determine whether the two officers were involved in the incident.