A ladyboy was arrested in Rayong after abducting a nine-month-old child from Bangkok. Police received tipoffs from social media that helped identify the whereabouts of the ladyboy.
Ekapop Luengprasert, an adviser to the interior minister and founder of the Sai Mai Tong Rod or Survive Sai Mai Facebook page, took the child's 54-year-old grandfather to meet Lt Anon Kattaisong, deputy inspector of Bang Na police station, on Tuesday to ask him to step up the manhunt.
The grandfather raised the alarm after the nine-month-old boy, Martin, was abducted by Noi Saengwan, a 52-year-old ladyboy, whom news reports say he knew. The abduction took place around 3pm that day at Wat Bang Na Nok temple in Bang Na district when Noi approached Martin's grandfather to ask if he could hold the boy, saying he would take him to visit a convenience store. The grandfather let him do so.
Footage from surveillance cameras showed Noi left the temple in a rush while holding the child and took a motorcycle taxi to a bus stop at Bang Na intersection, and from there a bus to Mo Chit Bus Terminal, or Mo Chit 2, in Chatuchak district. The child's family feared the abductor would sell the boy.
Information about Noi's whereabouts was posted on social media throughout the day by good Samaritans, which helped police track him down. The abductor was spotted holding the child in a minibus heading to Rayong on Wednesday.
The police were able to arrest Noi at the bus terminal in Rayong when the minibus arrived and the child was returned to his family.
During initial questioning, Noi claimed he wanted to raise the child and had no intention of selling him. He said he was on the way home to Chanthaburi to see his ex-employer. According to him, he found work in a construction camp near Wat Bang Na Nok.
He has been charged with the abduction of a minor from his parents. He was also found to have a history of other crimes, including drug use and theft.