One of five suspects wanted by police in connection with the abduction of a Chinese man from his condominium in downtown Bangkok on Friday was arrested yesterday during the victim's release following a ransom payment.
Wang Namfeng, 34, was rescued by plainclothes police at an unnamed restaurant having made transfers worth 3.5 million baht to his captors, Bangkok police chief Pol Lt Gen Thiti Saengsawang said yesterday.
On Saturday, a friend of Mr Wang identified by the police as Yu lodged a complaint at Lumpini Police Station, saying Mr Wang had been missing for several days and he was worried about him, police said.
Mr Wang then video called Mr Yu the following day begging him not to report his disappearance to the police and to instead pay the ransom, police said, adding that Mr Wang appeared during the call to have a number of bruises on his face.
According to the Bangkok deputy police commissioner Pol Maj Gen Nopasilp Poonsawasdi, Mr Wang had a Thai girlfriend, a former Miss Grand Suphanburi contestant, who he had recently split up with for three months before getting back together again.
The woman knew that Mr Wang was rich and planned the abduction with her new Thai boyfriend and other men. They used a BMW that Mr Wang bought for her to commit the crime.
At about 7pm on Friday three Thai men entered the Chinese victim's condominium in the Sathon area with the woman's keycard. There the Chinese man was tied at his wrists and ankles and put in a large plastic box.
They drove him to a condominium in Hua Hin district of Prachuap Khiri Khan where they forced him to make two transfers of 2 million and 1.5 million baht.
Yesterday, officers tried to arrest the gang as they were releasing the victim but could only catch one, Natthapat Sawatdee, a 24-year-old male, while the others made a getaway.