CHIANG MAI: Two Chinese nationals were arrested in Chiang Rai after one of them, a woman, allegedly shot and wounded a compatriot as they tried to extort 3 million baht from him at a house in Muang district of Chiang Mai.
The three became involved in a heated argument around 2pm on Tuesday, said Pol Lt Gen Piya Tawichai, commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 5.
A shot was fired and the victim was hit in the right buttock. He was identified as Wang Xiaoye, 54, a Chinese national with a visa to stay in the kingdom until Sept 26.
Mr Wang told police via an interpreter that a Chinese woman he had known for a while and a Chinese man had contacted him about buying antique bowls and he met them at a house in Chindanivet housing estate in Muang district.
Negotiations over the prices failed, he said. The pair then tried to extort 3 million baht from him.
When he refused to pay, a quarrel erupted. The woman pulled out a .38 pistol and fired at him as he fled for his life. He was hit in the right buttock.
He told police he fled to the Ping River, jumped into the water and swam to the other bank. He then called the police. Around 3pm on Tuesday the victim took officers to the house where the two Chinese suspects stayed. The pair had vanished. They fled in a white Toyota pickup truck, heading towards Chiang Rai province.
Pol Lt Gen Piya ordered a hunt that led to the arrest of the suspects in Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai around 7.30pm on Tuesday.
They were taken to Mae Ping police station in Chiang Mai for legal action.