Thailand: 5 Indians arrested for abducting fellow tourists, demanding Rs 40 lakh ransom

Five Indian nationals have been arrested in Thailand for allegedly abducting three fellow Indian tourists, holding them captive and demanding Rs 40 lakh as ransom from each victim's family, according to local media reports.

The suspects were arrested at a hotel in Bangkok's Khlong Tan area on Tuesday while waiting to board an outbound flight, the Bangkok Post reported, citing Thai police.

The accused were identified as Avtar Singh (38), Jagjit Singh (38), Rambalak Kumar (24), Sukhbir Singh (37) and Kulra Singh (27).

According to investigators, the five allegedly told police they had acted on the instructions of a Pakistani national whom they had come into contact with through a chat application over the past month.

Police believe the alleged mastermind is based in Dubai and had planned to receive ransom payments in cryptocurrency.

Investigators said the suspects were promised cash, valuables and airline tickets to leave Thailand after carrying out the kidnappings.

Victims rescued after embassy alert

According to The Nation newspaper, the investigation began after the Indian Embassy in Thailand alerted Chonburi Immigration Police and Pattaya City Police on July 21 following complaints from the victims' families.

Relatives reportedly shared video call recordings showing the victims with their hands and feet tied while they were allegedly being assaulted.

The kidnappers allegedly demanded Rs 40 lakh from the family of each victim in exchange for their release.

Acting on intelligence inputs and CCTV footage, police raided a two-storey townhouse in Pattaya on Monday evening and rescued the three victims, identified as Mohit (23), Ashish (24) and Himanshu (20).

Police said the men were found confined separately on the second floor of the house with their hands and feet bound and their mouths taped. They also bore signs of physical assault.

Investigators recovered adhesive tape, a wooden object allegedly used to assault the victims and red spray paint, which they believe was used to stage photographs and videos that were sent to the victims' families to pressure them into paying the ransom.

Lured through holiday package

According to investigators, the three victims were lured to Pattaya after being offered what was advertised as an inexpensive seven-day holiday package.

Instead, they were allegedly taken to a house where they were held captive for several days and tortured before being rescued.

Police also told investigators that another Indian national had allegedly been held at the same property before the three victims arrived and was released only after his relatives reportedly paid around Rs 30 lakh in ransom.

The investigation is continuing to identify other suspects and trace the alleged mastermind based in Dubai, the reports said.