Kidnap gang 'cut off victim's finger to extort family'

PATTAYA: Three Vietnamese kidnapping suspects who allegedly cut off their victim's little finger and sent it to his family have been arrested in Pattaya.



By Bangkok Post

Sunday 21 September 2014, 11:56AM

A police officer at a press conference at Provincial Police Region 1 headquarters shows a knife seized from three Vietnamese men who have allegedly admitted they kidnapped a Vietnamese national in Nonthaburi for a ransom of 1.5 million baht. Photo Bangkok Post.

A police officer at a press conference at Provincial Police Region 1 headquarters showed a knife seized from three Vietnamese men who have allegedly admitted they kidnapped a Vietnamese national in Nonthaburi for a ransom of B1.5 million.

The suspects — identified by police as Long, 28, Nghian Tai Hai, 27 and Niam, 28 — tried to escape by jumping into the sea when they were confronted by officers just before dawn yesterday (September 20) at a ferry pier near South Pattaya's Walking Street.

Their attempt to flee failed. The officers, who pursued the suspects in a boat, arrested them "easily", Pol Maj Gen Siwara Rangsiphrammanakun, acting chief of Provincial Police Region 1, said.

Arrest warrants were issued for the three men after police found the wounded victim, who is also a Vietnamese national, in an abandoned house in Pathum Thani's Thanyaburi district several days after his abduction.

The victim, identified as Tai Hua Hai, was kidnapped on September 12 as he was riding a bicycle from his condominium in Nonthaburi's Bang Yai district.

The 34-year-old, who sells fish at Bang Yai City market, was travelling to work late in the evening when his abductors approached him.

Mr Tai said the men wrapped tape around his eyes before bundling him into a taxi and driving him to a house.

The abductors stole nearly B100, 000 in cash from the victim's bag, then forced him to phone his family to ask for a ransom of B1.5 million, he said.

Pol Maj Gen Siwara said the victim's relatives asked if they could pay an initial amount of B100, 000, but this angered the gangsters.

"They cut off his little finger, sent it to his family and threatened to sever the victim's arm if their demand was not met," he said.

Pol Maj Gen Siwara said the family decided to call police and investigators were soon able to track down the gangsters' whereabouts.

The suspects had fled before the police raid, leaving the victim chained to a toilet. He had suffered injuries to his body in addition to his hand, police said.

Investigators are looking for another two Vietnamese suspects. Mr Niam is accused of committing a similar crime in Ayutthaya's Bang Pa-in district.

The officers charged the suspects with kidnap, and injuring and robbing a person.

Another similar abduction occurred in Bangkok's Sai Mai district in 2012, when a Vietnamese man was kidnapped by a Vietnamese gang who threatened to cut off his finger or kill him if his family did not pay a ransom. Police later saved the man and arrested all the gang members, who admitted to involvement in two abduction cases targeting Vietnamese nationals.

Read oginial story here.