A Lao woman was arrested for being an alleged member of a gang – including several police officers – that extorted 2.5 million baht from a group of Chinese people in Bangkok late last month.
According to sources, the 34-year-old Lao woman was arrested on Saturday night on a warrant for extortion and imitating a police officer. The woman allegedly operated a credit card reader to receive ransom money from Chinese victims. She allegedly received a share of 310,000 baht from the ransom.
The woman was among 11 suspects in the extortion case. Of the five wanted under arrest warrants, four were apprehended, including policemen and a Chinese national who allegedly found the victims.
The gang targeted Chinese people, mostly business people, who stayed in areas on Ratchadaphisek Road and nearby locations.
Gang members told victims to pay them in exchange for being spared from illicit business charges. They received both conventional and digital money.
The gang abducted five Chinese business people at a hotel on Soi Sutthiporn Road in Din Daeng district on April 25 and demanded 2.5 million baht from them.
On Friday a Chinese-language interpreter was arrested for involvement in the case.
Supplied CCTV footage shows the moment of the abduction on the night of April 25.