Three Indian tourists have been rescued from a house in Pattaya after allegedly being abducted, assaulted and held for ransom by a group that police say used a low-cost holiday package to lure them to Thailand.
Officers found the men, aged between 23 and 26, at a two-storey property on Map Tato Road in Nongprue, Bang Lamung district, at around 4pm on Monday. They were discovered locked inside two bedrooms with their hands, legs and mouths bound.
Police said the victims had bruising around their ankles that appeared consistent with repeated blows from hard objects.
According to their accounts, each man had paid about 70,000 baht for a seven-day tour package to Thailand. They arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport at about 5am on July 21 before taking a taxi to Pattaya.
Around two hours later, they reached a pre-arranged meeting point at a fast-food restaurant along Sukhumvit Highway in Nongprue, where an Indian man on a motorcycle allegedly transported them individually to the house.
Once inside, the men said they were restrained by a group consisting of four Pakistani nationals and one Indian national. During their captivity, they were allegedly beaten around the ankles and, at times, suspended face down.
The group then forced the victims to contact relatives in India and demand a combined ransom of 7 million rupees, equivalent to about 2.4 million baht.
The three men told investigators they were held for approximately a week, during which they were regularly tortured and denied adequate food and access to the toilet.
Pol Col Napatpong Kositsuriyamanee, chief of Chon Buri Immigration, said the investigation began after relatives of the victims contacted Thai authorities and asked for assistance.
Detectives found that those behind the operation had been using a telephone number registered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in an apparent attempt to disguise their location. Police were nevertheless able to trace the group to the Nongprue property.
The suspected kidnappers fled the house on motorcycles shortly before officers arrived, and authorities are continuing efforts to locate those involved.
Pol Col Napatpong said the case highlighted a method in which criminal groups attract foreign visitors with “cheap tour packages” before abducting them and demanding money from their families after they arrive in Thailand.
