Kamphaeng Phet Provincial Police in northern Thailand arrested Somkiat Thakaeo, 41, and Kittiporn Winya, 24, on suspicion of involvement in the attempted kidnapping of a Chinese woman from a Bangkok hotel, Khaosod reported on 24/8.
The two suspects are from Mae Sot district in Tak province, near the Myanmar border. Police are also searching for the two remaining suspects.
The incident began around 9 PM on 23/8, when a black Nissan Teana picked up the woman at her hotel. She had booked the car through someone she believed to be a tour guide, whom she had only contacted by phone.
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Two suspects believed to be involved in the attempted kidnapping of the Chinese woman at Kamphaeng Phet police station. Photo: Thailand Nation |
After leaving the hotel, the car stopped to pick up three more men. The woman realized she had been tricked. She resisted, but the suspects seized her phone and tied her hands with zip ties. The group appeared to be taking her to Mae Sot district, possibly to cross the border into Myanmar.
As the car drove through Kamphaeng Phet province, the woman saw a checkpoint outside Chula police station and screamed for help. The driver immediately accelerated, speeding past the checkpoint.
While police pursued, she used all her strength to open the door and jump from the moving vehicle. She found a salon, knocked for help, and was taken to a hospital by locals and police.
According to police officer Chakkaphet Khrueacha, authorities continued the pursuit, shooting out a tire and forcing the vehicle to stop. Four men exited the car and fled into the roadside forest. Somkiat and Kittiporn were arrested, while the two remaining suspects escaped.
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The Chinese woman was injured after jumping from the car. Photo: Facebook/ Kamphaeng Phet police station |
Kittiporn confessed he was the driver, hired by Somkiat for 10,000 baht, to pick up the Chinese woman from her Bangkok hotel. The two men in the back seat grabbed her phone and tied her hands. Kittiporn asked what they were doing but was told to keep driving.
Investigators stated they are questioning the two suspects to clarify if a network or other individuals were involved in the incident. The woman told police she was traveling alone in Thailand when the incident occurred.
The incident shocked the public, drawing comparisons to the case of Chinese actor Wang Xing, who was lured from Thailand to Mae Sot and then taken to Myanmar to work in an online scam ring. Wang Xing was later rescued by Thai police in Myanmar.
Nhu Tam (According to Khaosod, Thailand Nation)
