Teen mum and child abandoned in Trat after online meetup
A 19 year old mother and her three year old son were rescued on January 1 after being abandoned at a playground in Trat province, following a meeting with a man she had met online just days earlier.
Police in Mueang Trat district were alerted to the incident after reports that a young woman and a small child had been left alone at a playground in Nong Samed. Rescue workers from the Sawang Boon Rescue Foundation responded and escorted both to Mueang Trat Police Station.
Police escorted the woman, identified as A, to Chamrak, then worked with Ban Tha Luean officers to reunite her with relatives at a nearby convenience store.
According to A, she had met a 38 year old man through Facebook and had chatted with him for only three days before he offered to pick her up from her house around noon that day. He said he would take her out for grilled pork, but instead drove her to his home in Nong Samed, more than 30 kilometres from her residence.
She said she made it clear she had no intention of engaging in a romantic relationship, reported Udonthani Update.
At around 3am, the man allegedly drove her and her son to a playground and left them there. Before driving off, he reportedly told her she did not look like her pictures and appeared surprised that she had a child, despite her Facebook profile showing unedited photos of herself and her son.
Soon after, someone in the area contacted rescue services, who arrived and ensured both mother and child were safe. Police have not confirmed whether charges will be filed, but the incident has raised concerns over the risks involved in meeting online strangers in person.
In similar news, a Thai woman in Loei province lost two cars and one motorcycle, worth over 1.2 million baht, to a man who moved in with her after just one day of online conversation.
