PHUKET: Police are questioning four Russian men suspected of abducting a Russian couple on this southern tourist island and forcing them to transfer 30 million baht worth of cryptocurrency.
The couple were abducted near an eatery on Hongyok Utis Road in Muang district at about 8.30pm on Wednesday, said Pol Maj Gen Sinlert Sukhum, the Phuket police commander.
They were taken in a black Hyundai van and forced to transfer cryptocurrency to the gang. They were then released and immediately filed a complaint with local police.
The four Russian suspects told police that they did not know the couple. They said they were just regular tourists who had arrived in Phuket in mid-December.
Pol Maj Gen Sinlert said police were collecting evidence and had already informed immigration officers at Phuket airport about the suspects.