Thai police allegedly involved in Bangkok hotel kidnap of Chinese tourists

Five Chinese tourists were kidnapped from a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, and had 2.5 million Thai baht (US$67,659) extorted on April 25 by a group of 11 people, including several current and former Thai police officers, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

Several men claiming to be Thai police officers broke into the hotel room where Chinese tourists were staying and said that five of the tourists had violated certain laws and needed to go to the police station for further investigation.

CCTV footage showed the 11-member gang abducting the Chinese nationals using four cars parked in front of the hotel in Soi Pracha Songkhro 2 in Din Daeng district, local news outlet The Nation reported.

The group demanded the Chinese tourists transfer money to a designated bank account. Fearing they could be arrested in a foreign country, the abducted Chinese tourists transferred 2.5 million Thai baht into the account, and were later released.

The Chinese victims filed a police complaint on April 29.

The police have arrested 7 suspects involved in the case, while 3 suspects remain at large, and the identity of 1 suspect needs to be confirmed. Currently, the police have recovered part of the money, and are trying to trace the remaining funds.

Among those arrested, one is a police sergeant working at the police emergency communication centre, while another is a former chief investigator at Khan Na Yao police station in Bangkok, who was fired from the force in 2023, The Nation said.

Thai police said investigators are tracking down the rest of the suspects.