Six Indian-Pakistani nationals arrested for kidnapping three Indian men for ransom

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) on Friday rescued three Indian men held hostage at a safe house in Soi Santikram 8, Muang district of Samut Prakan province.

Police also arrested six suspects—five Indians and one Pakistani—at the safe house and a condo in Bang Lamung district, Chonburi province, for allegedly kidnapping the victims and demanding a ransom of 2.5 million rupees (about 900,000 baht) from the victims’ families.

On April 14, Sanjeev (last name withheld), a 27-year-old Indian national, alerted the police that his friends—Ramesh and Amandeep—had disappeared after being picked up by an Indian man outside their hotel in Bangkok’s Silom area. They were supposed to travel to Vietnam but were instead taken to a safe house in Samut Prakan province.

On April 16, Ramesh’s sister contacted Sanjeev via WhatsApp, saying she received a ransom demand from a man named Sandhu, who claimed to be holding Ramesh and Amandeep and threatened harm if the ransom was not paid.

Police traced the suspect’s number to a condo in Chonburi, where they found evidence of WhatsApp calls and messages sent to the victims’ families. Investigators subsequently located the victims tied up in the house in Samut Prakan.

The third victim found in the house, Vipul Kumar, also an Indian national, had reportedly been lured from Suvarnabhumi Airport and held hostage by the same group.

The victims said they were threatened with mutilation and beaten with tape-wrapped sticks to pressure them into urging their families to pay the ransom.

A Thai taxi driver, Wirat Lakchai, who unknowingly drove the victims to the safe house, said he picked up the three Indian men near their hotel, adding that they appeared calm and chatted in English during the ride. He did not detect any suspicious behavior and believed they were simply traveling together.

Police charged all six suspects with illegal detention and attempted extortion. The case is being handled by the Yan Nawa Police Station.

MPB Deputy Commissioner Pol Major General Wasan Techa-akrakasem stated that the suspects posed as job agents promising to send Indians to Austria for work, asking them to temporarily stay in Bangkok to process documents. Once they arrived, the victims were abducted and held for ransom.

Police are verifying the suspects’ criminal backgrounds and working with the immigration bureau and the India Embassy to gather further information, including whether or not the gang has any Thai accomplices.