1 arrested as Chinese man loses little finger but escapes alleged captors in Pattaya
A Chinese national was arrested in Bangkok on Tuesday morning for allegedly holding a fellow countryman for a ransom of 30 million yuan (150 million baht) and chopping off his little finger.
Police officers tracked the suspect down to a condominium in Bangkok’s Ekkamai area after a Thai woman filed a complaint in Pattaya that her Chinese boyfriend had gone missing since early Sunday.
The suspect, identified only as Dadao, was taken to Pattaya Police Station for interrogation and information about his collaborators. The detainee reportedly indicated there were four others involved in this case.
Alisara Supasiribanthit, 20, had filed a complaint with Pattaya police on Sunday morning saying her boyfriend, 41-year-old Ren Haibo, had been kidnapped.
She said Ren, a real-estate businessman, drove his Toyota Fortuner SUV out of their Pattaya home at 12.30am on Sunday, saying he was meeting some Chinese friends at Walking Street.
Alisara said that at about 9.30am, Ren’s brother showed up to say he had been kidnapped and that she was to contact the kidnappers via the Telegram app.
She added that the kidnappers then sent her a video clip of Ren being tied up at his hands and ankles and blindfolded. One of his little fingers was then placed on his lap.
Alisara said when Ren was not released, she decided to take the case to the police.
However, on Monday, Ren managed to escape by jumping down from the second floor of a house in Pattaya where he was being detained.
Ren managed to make his way to a house nearby, and the owner then alerted the police who rushed to pick him up at the scene. The incident happened at The Village at Horse Shoe Point housing estate in Chonburi’s Bang Lamung district.
He said he managed to escape because his captors had fallen asleep after consuming ketamine.
Police said Ren’s little finger on the right hand had been cut off entirely and he had also sustained wounds on his right hand, stomach and left arm. His body was covered in bruises from beating and his right leg had broken when jumped from the second floor.
Ren was rushed to Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital before police then returned to the house where he was being detained only to find the suspects had fled the scene. Police then tracked one of them down to Ekkamai and have now launched a manhunt for the others.
