Police will ask the Criminal Court to detain a Chinese man accused of kidnapping a Chinese woman, who managed to escape from his car after it was involved in a minor accident in Bangkok.
Investigators say they want to question the man further as they await a medical report before deciding whether to press a rape charge as well.
Zhao Wulin, 36, admitted to all charges during the initial investigation, said Pol Maj Gen Atthaporn Wongsiripreeda, commander of Metropolitan Police Division 1.
The suspect is charged with illegal detention, extortion, assault and sexual assault and will be charged with rape if a medical examination of the victim supports the case, Pol Maj Gen Atthaporn said.
Mr Zhao was arrested on Rama IX Road in Huai Khwang district near the Si Rat Expressway on Thursday after his sedan was involved in an accident, during which the victim was able to escape from his car.
After he left his car to talk to the driver of the other vehicle, the woman, whose legs and hands were tied, managed to free herself and hail a taxi.
Sompong Sisod, 33, the driver of the other vehicle, said he did not notice anything irregular and was shocked when Mr Zhao was arrested while they waited for an insurance agent to arrive.
According to police, the 27-year-old victim works as a broker for plastic surgery procedures in South Korea. She is a frequent visitor to the country on a tourist visa.
She last entered Thailand on Sept 2 and was introduced to the suspect by a friend via a mobile application. They exchanged messages on the app for 10 days before meeting at a barbecue restaurant in Bangkok on Wednesday.
The victim told police that she felt dizzy after eating and drinking alcohol and could not remember what happened after that.
She woke up the next morning naked in a hotel in the Ramkhamhaeng area. The suspect told her that he would take her to Pattaya.
On their way there, she said, he choked and threatened her. He then tied her up and demanded a ransom of 200,000 yuan, or about 1 million baht.
She asked a friend to transfer 50,000 yuan to her account and they were heading to withdraw the money when the accident occurred.
Police said they found the rope used to tie the victim and cash worth 100,000 baht and unknown amounts of other currencies in the car.
Background checks on Mr Zhao showed he worked as a driver in the United Arab Emirates and entered Thailand on Sept 8.
Police said they believed the suspect acted alone and have found no links between him and Chinese criminal gangs.
Kidnapping for ransom of Chinese visitors by Chinese criminals living in Thailand has been one of the biggest security challenges for Thai law enforcement in recent years. In some cases, immigration police have reportedly been complicit in the activities.
Pol Maj Gen Atthaporn said police would step up measures to ensure tourist safety as arrivals are expected to jump following the government’s approval of a temporary visa-free programme for Chinese tourists starting later this month.