Kidnap ringleader caught after seven-year hunt in Khon Kaen

The Thai authorities have arrested the alleged ringleader of a drug gang in Khon Kaen, who is accused of kidnapping a 13 year old girl to extort 30,000 baht from her father to settle a methamphetamine debt.

The 30 year old suspect, identified as Kamonchai, was apprehended after he reportedly went into hiding following media coverage of the incident on March 22 last year.

The case dates back to August 2016, when a 43 year old woman named Boonnom reported to the police that her 13 year old daughter was abducted from their home in Ban Haet district, Khon Kaen, by a group of five to six men.

The kidnappers then demanded a ransom of 30,000 baht, allegedly to cover the amount her husband owed for methamphetamine. Following the report, police managed to rescue the child and arrest five members of the gang, all of whom confessed to the crime. Kamonchai, however, remained at large until his recent capture.

During the investigation, Kamonchai denied leading the drug gang and being involved in the kidnapping. He claimed he fled because of the media reports suggesting the police were intensifying their search for him, and he feared he might be killed in a police encounter, reported KhaoSod.

Following his arrest, he was taken into custody at Ban Haet Police Station for further legal proceedings.

In related news, 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.

In other news, authorities in Phuket detained four foreign suspects in a brazen kidnapping that targeted a Russian couple in the island’s bustling streets. The assailants forced their victims to transfer cryptocurrency worth an estimated 30 million baht but upon interrogation the suspects maintained their innocence, claiming no acquaintance with the victims and identifying themselves as tourists.