Four foreigners in Pattaya have been arrested after staging a fake kidnapping of one of their number to fool the parents of the man into sending ransom money. Police found illicit drugs and guns in their room.
The Crime Suppression Division (CSD) together with the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) arrested two Englishmen, one Frenchman and one New Zealander in their rented room in Pattaya on Friday after being informed about the kidnapping of one of the Englishmen named Ian (surname is withheld), said Pol Col Wiwat Jitsophakul, chief of CSD sub-division 2 on Saturday.
During the raid, the officers seized illegal drugs including 0.6 grammes of crystal methamphetamine, a 32mm revolver and six 32mm bullets.
They were charged with unauthorised possession of Category 1 drugs, unauthorised possession of firearms and bullets, and overstaying their visa.
The arrest came after Ian's parents asked police for help after being informed by their son that he was kidnapped and needed a ransom to be sent to Thailand. Pol Col Wiwat did not reveal the amount that they had been asked to send.
He said the the International Criminal Police Organisation, or Interpol, contacted the Royal Thai Police. The CIB and the CSD investigated.
That led to the raid of the rented house. During the search, the officers detected no signs of the reported kidnapping but instead found guns and drugs, he said.
The officers found Ian and three of his friends had been living together in Thailand for some time. They ran out of money, so they decided to orchestrate a fake kidnapping to try to get ransom money from Ian's parents. The offenders have now been sent to Pattaya City police station for legal proceedings.