French national apprehended in Bangkok on kidnap charge

Bangkok’s Metropolitan Police Bureau apprehended a 45 year old French national at a hotel in the Silom area of Bang Rak district. The arrest, which took place around 10pm yesterday concerned allegations of a planned kidnapping of the young daughter of a renowned businesswoman, with a demand for a 200 million baht ransom.

The arrest warrant for Sandra Christina Marie Diersten, suspected of illegal assembly, was issued by the Criminal Court on April 5, following a complaint lodged with Thong Lor Police Station. The businesswoman had been alerted to the plot to kidnap her seven year old daughter by a remorseful member of the gang.

This tip-off instigated an investigation which led to the issuance of Diersten’s arrest warrant, who was reportedly the gang’s ringleader.

Police Major General Theeradet Thumsuthee, an investigative commander of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, led a team of detectives to Diersten’s location on the day of her arrest. They discovered Diersten at a Silom hotel, in the company of a Lebanese man.

At the time of her arrest, Diersten denied all charges, claiming to be a businesswoman who had been defrauded by an Australian man, the husband of the Thai businesswoman and father of the targeted child. Diersten stated that she had invested approximately 185 million baht with the man, alleging that he had defrauded her and then falsely accused her of the kidnap plot to avoid repaying his debts.

Diersten further claimed to have met the Lebanese man in Dubai previously and explained her failure to report her entry into Thailand was due to safety concerns. Following her arrest, she was transferred into the custody of Thong Lor Police Station, reported Bangkok Post.

Despite her denials, Pol. Maj. Gen. Theeradet expressed scepticism over Diersten’s claims, stating the police had gathered ample evidence against her. The investigation continues.

In related news, five members of a Russian gang have been apprehended for the kidnapping and extortion of a Belarusian couple in Phuket, forcing them to transfer 30 million baht in cryptocurrency before abandoning them. The incident occurred on January 31, at a prominent hotel in the Talad Yai area of Mueang Phuket district.