- Victims were lured to Pattaya with a fake holiday offer and held captive with torture before rescue
- Police rescued the victims after families reported the case to the Indian Embassy and local police
- Ransom demands totaled Rs 40 lakh per victim, with evidence including assault tools and fake injury props
Thai police have arrested five Indian nationals accused of kidnapping three fellow Indians and demanding ransom for their release. According to the Bangkok Post, the suspects were detained at a hotel in Bangkok's Khlong Tan district on Tuesday while allegedly attempting to leave the country. Investigators said the victims were lured to Thailand under the pretext of a budget holiday package before being held captive for ransom.
The suspects have been identified as Avtar Singh (38), Jagjit Singh (38), Rambalak Kumar (24), Sukhbir Singh (37) and Kulra Singh (27).
According to sources, the suspects told Pattaya police that a Pakistani national they had connected with through a chat application about a month earlier had instructed them to kidnap the three Indian men. Investigators believe the alleged mastermind was operating from Dubai and intended to extort cryptocurrency payments from the victims. In return, the accused kidnappers were allegedly promised the victims' cash and valuables, as well as airline tickets to help them flee Thailand, the Bangkok Post reported.
Police said the victims were promised a budget seven-day holiday in Pattaya but were instead taken to a house and held hostage for several days. They were allegedly tortured before being rescued during a police operation on Monday evening.
The case came to light after the Indian Embassy in Thailand informed Chonburi Immigration Police and Pattaya City Police on July 21, following complaints from the victims' families. Relatives had shared video call recordings showing the men with their hands and feet bound and allegedly being beaten. The kidnappers had reportedly demanded Rs 40 lakh (around $41,831) from each family.
Acting on tip-offs and CCTV footage, police raided a two-storey townhouse in Pattaya on Monday and rescued the three men, named as Mohit (23), Ashish (24) and Himanshu (20). Officers said the men were found on the upper floor, tied up and gagged, with visible signs of assault.
During the raid, police recovered adhesive tape, a wooden object allegedly used to assault the victims, and red spray paint, which they believe was used to fake injuries in photos and videos sent to families to pressure them into paying up.
The rescued men also told investigators that another Indian had been held at the same house before them, and was reportedly freed only after his family paid about Rs 30 lakh in ransom.
(With inputs from PTI)
