3 Thais, 1 foreigner arrested for kidnapping 2 Vietnamese men
Police arrested three Thai men and one foreigner after the gang attempted to kidnap two Vietnamese men for ransom on Kho Simbi Road in Phuket at the weekend.
Officers from Mueang Phuket Police Station were alerted to the kidnapping at 11.46pm on Saturday, February 22, by a friend of the Vietnamese victims.
The two Vietnamese nationals, 40 year old Van Tung Phan and 21 year old Quang Minh Nguyen, secretly shared their location with a friend, enabling officers to assist them in time.
Police rushed to the location and found the two victims being detained by three Thai men and one foreigner, whose nationality remains undisclosed.
The Vietnamese men told police that the four suspects threatened them with guns, demanded money, and forced them into a black Volkswagen Caravelle van. The suspects then took them to accommodation near the Khao Rang Place hotel on Kho Simbi Road.
Officers searched the vehicle and found three guns that the suspects used to threaten the victims. No details were provided regarding any prior conflicts or incidents that may have led to the threat and kidnapping.
The four suspects were taken to the police station for further legal proceedings. However, details of the questioning and the charges against them have not been disclosed to the public.
Following similar previous incidents, the four may face two charges:
- Section 309 of the Criminal Law: Coercing another person into performing an act they do not wish to do by using violence or putting them in fear of injury to life, body, liberty, reputation, or property. The penalty is imprisonment for up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
- Section 310 of the Criminal Law: Unlawfully detaining a person. The penalty is imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
In a previous kidnapping case reported in December last year, three men were arrested in the Isaan province of Kalasin for kidnapping a local businessman for ransom. Two other suspects remain at large, and no further developments on their arrests have been reported.
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