A 26-year-old who was arrested for blackmailing a 17-year-old boy who later committed suicide, after the former posed as a female then threatened to make public a sexually explicit tape, may have used the same ploy on 20 others during the past two years, police said yesterday.
Assistant national police chief Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn said Chanthapat Anantawong was arrested at a condominium in Bangkok on Thursday, after his teenage victim shot and killed himself.
In each case, the suspect is alleged to have demanded 20,000 baht to keep any explicit material private, although during questioning he admitted to asking for only 5,000 baht. He also claimed to be unaware of any psychological trauma he had caused victims.
Bank transfers were made by the deceased and CCTV footage were used to identify Mr Chanthapat. Police then arrested him and searched his home before taking him to Saraphi police station in Chiang Mai.
Provincial Police Region 5 are now investigating more than 20 similar allegations.
Pol Lt Gen Surachate said officers are checking phone records of the suicide victim and conducting further interviews, adding they have linked the suspect to a Facebook account with a false female identity by which he is believed to have lured young men.