PATTAYA — CCTV footage shows the moment a group of men posing as police officers abducted a Chinese national and forced him into a white electric SUV before robbing him and forcing him to transfer money worth over 200,000 baht ($7,000). The victim was later left on the side of the road.
The incident occurred at around 5:27 a.m. on July 10, 2025. CCTV footage shows two men dressed in black trying to forcibly drag the Chinese man into a car in front of a Chinese noodle and grocery shop on North Pattaya 3rd Road, Moo 6, Na Kluea Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province.
A witness (who wished to remain anonymous told reporters on July 11 that three Chinese men came to eat noodles in the area at around 5 a.m. After they finished, they parted ways: the first drove off in a black Toyota Fortuner, the second went to a nearby alley, and the third, the victim, waited for a ride-hailing service (Bolt).
Within a minute, a white SUV pulled up next to him. A man dressed in black (wearing a black hoodie) got out and tried to push the victim into the vehicle. The victim resisted and ran into the back of the vehicle, but was forcibly dragged inside.
The witness said that nobody dared to intervene as they thought it was a legitimate police operation because he heard the man in black shouting, “I’m police! You’re a call centre scammer!”
Later, at around 9:00 a.m. on July 10, a Chinese national, identified as Mr. Lin, 52, who has been living in Thailand for a year, reported the incident to the Pattaya City police station. He told police that four men posing as police officers accused him of being involved in a call centre scam, detained him and forced him into a car.
“My hands were handcuffed behind my back and I was threatened with something I thought was a gun. While I was in the car, the gang spoke in a mixture of Thai and English that I did not understand,” Lin said.
During the journey, the suspects searched him and took an iPhone 13 Pro, an iPhone 16 Pro, 15,000 baht in cash and a pair of glasses. They later dropped him off at a shooting range on Railway Road, about 9 kilometres from the abduction site. The suspects gave him back his room key card before dropping him off.
A security guard at the shooting range said he saw the Chinese man in a state of shock and asked for help, so he quickly called the police.
Lin then asked a guard at the shooting range for help and contacted a friend. He also realised that 150,000 baht had been withdrawn from his Chinese bank account via a mobile banking app. He immediately reported the incident to the Pattaya police. In total, he lost more than 230,000 baht ($7,070) in valuables and money.
The Pattaya police crime team’s initial investigation included reviewing CCTV footage at the scene and tracing the escape route. The footage shows the white electric SUV turning into Paniad Chang Alley before reappearing on North Pattaya Road and heading towards the shooting range on Soi Chaiyapruek 2, where the victim was released. Police are now hunting for the suspects.
Police Lieutenant General Yingyos Thepchamnong, Commander of Provincial Police Region 2, ordered a thorough and swift investigation to gather evidence. If the perpetrators are actual police officers, they must face legal prosecution and strict disciplinary action. If they are not police officers but impersonated them, causing damage to the force’s reputation, they must face decisive legal action.
He asked for public confidence in Provincial Police Region 2, stating “we work professionally.”
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