Kidnap cases can be especially dangerous in Thailand, with the lives of victims hanging in the balance more than in many countries due to the lack of a dedicated agency for abduction cases.
Victim Piyaphan Thitiaksornsil
"In resolving cases of kidnap or ransom demands, the most important thing is for the victim to survive," said Pol Lt Col Theeradech Thamsuthee, a deputy chief of the Crime Suppression Division's Sub-division 1.
He is part of the team investigating a recent kidnapping case which culminated in a teenaged Kasetsart University student being found dead in a canal after his mother failed to pay the ransom demanded by his captors for his release.
"A poorly planned rescue attempt can lead to a loss of life," said Pol Lt Col Theeradech. "Even if the suspects are eventually arrested, it may be too late to save the victim's life."
Many unidentified corpses could have been the victims of kidnapping cases that were never reported, or which were reported but police failed to take seriously, he said.
In the latest kidnapping case, Wannee Thitiaksornsil, the mother of 19-year-old Kasetsart University student Piyaphan Thitiaksornsil, received a phone call saying she must transfer 2 million baht into her son's bank account or he would be killed.
She filed a complaint with Chokechai police station, which covers the area where her son's university dormitory is located. But the police failed to act on the complaint.
The following morning, the mother received another call from the abductor, who repeated the demand and the consequences of failing to comply.
Mrs Wannee was gravely concerned for her son's safety but she did not have enough money to pay the ransom.
As the police were proving to be of no use, she decided to try to track down the abductor on her own.
She started by seeking a record of her son's ATM card use from the bank holding his account.
The bank traced where the card had been used and inspected security camera footage of the ATMs in question.
The video showed a man using Piyaphan's card in the Ramkhamhaeng area with his face covered.
While this evidence was not of much use, Mrs Wannee, 54, believed she could learn more about the suspect at the site of the ATM, so she visited the area.
She found a nearby shop had a security camera and its scope also covered the ATM.
The shop allowed her to inspect its footage. The camera at the shop had filmed the suspect from a different angle, revealing his face.
The following morning, she rushed to the CSD with the evidence, but it was too late.
A day later, Piyaphan's body was found floating in a canal on Kanchanaphisek Road in Prawet district. The victim's arms had been tied behind his back and his body anchored with sandbags.
A post-mortem examination showed he had drowned.
Shortly before the end of last year, police detained four suspects.
None of them had a criminal record and police say all four admitted kidnapping Piyaphan for ransom.
They decided to kill him when they realised the ransom would not be paid.
The four were charged with abducting and holding Piyaphan for ransom and premeditated murder.
Piyaphan's body was cremated yesterday evening at Wat Bung Thong Lang in Bangkok's Bang Kapi district.
Observers say a dedicated kidnapping agency could have lent on the police to ensure prompter action.
Contact Crime Track: crimetrack@bangkokpost.co.th