A jealous South Korean man has been arrested for illegally detaining his former Thai girlfriend, who had taken up with Chinese man, allegedly assaulting and threatening her with a gun.
Pattaya police were called to a nail salon on Pattaya Klang Road in tambon Nong Prue of Bang Lamung district, Chon Buri, about 7pm on Monday.
They were told a foreign man had threatened a Thai woman with a gun and illegally detained her inside a room in the same building.
Pattaya city police surrounded the building, station chief Pol Col Anek Sathongyu said.
On seeing the police, a man jumped from a second-floor balcony and fled the area on foot.
Police followed him cautiously, warning people to take shelter because the man was believed to be armed and dangerous.
Officers also entered the building and released a 28-year-old woman, the owner of the nail salon. The woman, whose name was withheld, was reported to be exhausted and bruised, visibly shaken and fearful. (continues below)
The 28-year-old nail salon proprietor, rescued after being illegally imprisoned and assaulted by her former boyfriend, a South Korean, in Pattaya. (Photo: Pattaya city police)
She told police that her attacker was a 27-year-old South Korean she had previously dated. He had confiscated her mobile phone and detained her inside the room for almost 24 hours.
He had also recently acquired a gun and used it to threaten her during the ordeal. she said.
The woman said she had called in vain for help about 3pm on Monday. Later that evening she had managed to calm the man down and he returned her phone. She immediately sent a message to a friend, asking her to call police for help.
The suspect was caught about 500 metres from the shop around 11pm, police said.
He was identified as Dongwug Kim. A search of his room revealed a Sig Sauer handgun loaded with 15 bullets. He had no permit for it. It was seized.
Investigators initially believed the man acted out of jealousy as the woman was now in a relationship with a Chinese man. His attempts to reconcile with the woman had failed.
Kim was held in police custody for questioning. Investigators were tracking down the registered owner of the firearm, who would also face charges, police said.