Thailand arrests Chinese kidnapping boss whose gang sliced victim’s finger off
- Local media reported a manhunt had been launched for the other gang members, after the group’s boss was caught in Bangkok
- Chinese gang had asked for almost US$800,000 in ransom to return abducted man after slicing off one of his fingers
Thai police have arrested the ringleader of a Chinese kidnap-for-ransom group that allegedly cut off the finger of a compatriot after holding him captive in the eastern resort city of Pattaya.
A man surnamed Ren went missing along with his car at midnight on Sunday, his girlfriend Alisara Supasiribundit said in a police complaint.
Alisara added Ren’s younger brother contacted her the next morning and told her that his sibling had been abducted. He showed her a video clip of the victim being tied up with duct tape over his eyes and the little finger on his left hand getting severed and bleeding heavily.
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Alisara and Ren’s brother transferred 150,000 baht (US$3,970) to the gang via a cryptocurrency platform before police raided a house in Chonburi province, about 100 kms southeast of the capital Bangkok and rescued the Chinese national. He was later sent to hospital for treatment, but did lose his finger.
Officers also found Ren’s car at a reservoir in east Pattaya. Broadcaster Channel 3 reported the group’s boss was caught at a condominium in Bangkok’s Ekkamai neighbourhood and a manhunt had been launched for the other perpetrators.
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