Police are looking into a report by a US media outlet about a Michigan woman being drugged, kidnapped and almost raped while holidaying in Thailand.
Deputy national spokesman Pol Col Kritsana Pattanacharoen said police were working to verify the reported abduction and attempted rape claim by Alex Fairfield from Ravenna, Michigan.
He was speaking after Michigan’s Fox 17 reported the tourist’s story on Dec 5. Ms Fairfield said one of her kidnappers wore a “uniform”.
In the report which quoted Ms Fairfield and members of her family, she went to a bar with her friend Joe. When Joe got up and went to the restroom, Fairfield felt sick and tired. And the next thing she knew she woke up in an unknown place with her hands bound. The report did not locate the bar.
"She was able to loosen the ropes," said Alex Moore, Fairfield's brother-in-law.
"It wasn't until one of the kidnappers dressed in uniform came into the room and attempted to rape her that she came to her senses." Mr Moore described the uniform as resembling a law enforcement ensemble.
Ms Fairfield told her family she was able to escape from her attacker, jumping from a balcony and then hiding in some bushes for six hours until she could get a taxi back to her hotel. She sent her family pictures of her injuries afterward.
Ms Fairfield flew from Thailand on Tuesday without reporting the incident to the Thai police, Fox 17 said. She was afraid she might see her kidnapper again, according to her family. Officials at the US Embassy in Thailand admitted they could not do much without a police report.
Pol Col Kritsana said police were checking Fairfield’s record with the Immigration Bureau and trying to find out where the attack took place.
Anyone found involved in the crime against the American tourist, regardless of whether they are a police officer or a civilian, would be held accountable, he said, adding he would update the progress in the case later.