Five people have been charged in connection with swindling six million baht out of a British man in exchange for freeing him from detention, according to police.
One of them, Pol Col Ramet Kaewsungnoen, a superintendent with Mae Hong Son police, was accused of trying to secure the British man's freedom using his alleged connection with Pol Lt Gen Surachate Hakparn, the assistant national police chief.
According to Pol Lt Gen Surachate, a woman named Thirawan Khiewngam said that a bail request for the British man, who was a friend of hers, had been rejected. Wanted on an Interpol Red Notice, he was being detained by the Immigration Bureau (IB) in Bangkok.
After the IB turned down the bail request, Ms Thirawan sought help from a man, Thananwat Thananthanyapat. He told her he knew a man called Witthaya Somsrisomsakul who could get in touch with Pol Col Ramet, a senior officer and former classmate of Pol Lt Gen Surachate in the Royal Police Cadet Academy.
She was told the man would need to pay six million baht to secure his freedom, according to Pol Lt Gen Surachate.
On June 29, Mr Thananwat and Mr Witthaya visited the man at the detention centre in Bang Khen district. They asked to see the detainee in person but the police officer on duty refused, citing a breach of regulations.
Mr Witthaya called Pol Col Ramet by phone and had the duty officer speak to the senior police officer. Pol Col Ramet tried in vain to convince the officer the British man used to work as an informant for him and that the suspect should be allowed visitors.
However, the duty officer again denied the two men access to the detention cell and said they should contact his superiors.
Mr Witthaya then told Mr Thananwat to tell Ms Thirawan to transfer the six million baht to a number of bank accounts. However, after the money was transferred, Mr Witthaya made little attempt to secure bail and could not be reached on his phone.
Ms Thirawan then decided to file a police complaint against the gang with the Pak Klongsan police.
Pol Lt Gen Surachate said checks confirmed Pol Col Ramet had indeed spoken to the duty officer on June 29. The assistant national police chief added that during the phone conversation, Pol Col Ramet mentioned his name to the officer in an apparent bid to gain detention access.
The Pak Klongsan police have gathered evidence and summonsed Pol Col Ramet, Mr Witthaya, 67, and three others -- Apirak Thiengtham, 43, Natnaree Boonma, 35, and Thipsuda Insongjai, 26 -- to acknowledge the charges against them.