Four immigration police officers in Thailand are facing arrest for allegedly kidnapping a Chinese man and his female interpreter and extorting $29,170 in cryptocurrency from them. The incident, which occurred on March 10, was brought to light after the Thai woman filed a police report, alleging that she and the Chinese national were abducted after falling victim to an immigration scam.
According to police reports, the Chinese man had sought the help of an interpreter to renew his passport and visa at a government office in Bangkok. However, officials rejected his application, and the duo eventually went back home. Five men then allegedly bundled them into a car and drove them around a neighborhood in the Thai capital before returning the victims to their residences.
During the abduction, the kidnappers reportedly forced the Chinese man to pay $30,000 in USDT, a tether stablecoin pegged to the US dollar. He allegedly instructed his son to transfer the coins to the suspects through the imToken app. Further investigations revealed that four immigration police bureau officers were involved in the case, and arrest warrants have been issued against them.
Deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn, who disclosed the information on March 21, said the officers claimed to be innocent. The Chinese national has fled to his home country. The case is still under investigation.
In a separate incident, a Chinese businessman filed a police complaint after his wife and elder brother were kidnapped in Chonburi province, southeast of Bangkok. The victims were returning home after dropping the man’s son at an international school when a motorcycle-borne assailant waylaid their car and drove off.
The businessman received a ransom call demanding $145,500 for his relatives’ freedom. He reportedly handed over $29,100 in cryptocurrency to the suspect, and a manhunt is now underway to locate the pair.
