British man forges kidnap tale, arrested by Pattaya police
A seemingly distressing kidnapping report took an unexpected turn when a British national’s family in England alerted Thai police that the Brit had been abducted in Thailand.
The Central Police Bureau was alerted via Interpol by Ian’s (surname withheld) family in the UK and Police Lieutenant General Jirapop Phuridej, Commander-in-Chief of the Central Police Bureau, deployed an investigative team to the Crime Suppression Division.
The team swiftly located the British man, Ian, in a room on Soi Nong Prue 13, Pattaya, triggering the dispatch of the special operations team, Hanuman, to the scene. However, the anticipated rescue mission took an unprecedented turn when police found Ian in the company of three other Westerners, engaging in drug-related activities rather than being held captive.
To the astonishment of law enforcement officers, there was no evidence of a kidnapping. Instead, the room harboured firearms and drugs. Consequently, arrests were made on charges of jointly possessing category 1 narcotics (methamphetamine), jointly possessing firearms and ammunition, and being a foreigner whose permission to remain in the Kingdom has expired.
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Ian and his three companions had been residing in Thailand for an extended period until financial woes forced them to concoct an audacious scam. Facing a depleted travel fund, Ian hatched a plan to deceive his family into believing he had been kidnapped, coercing them into sending a ransom for his release and funding his next adventure, reported KhaoSod English.
The scheme crumbled as law enforcement intercepted before the ransom plea reached its intended recipients. The suspect was swiftly taken into custody and transported to the Pattaya Police Station, where the prosecution process is set to unfold.
In related news, the owner of a luxury condominium in the Sriracha district of Chon Buri found the dead body of a naked British man inside the room on January 19. The cause of death has not yet been confirmed.
