BANGKOK — Immigration police have solved a case from mid-last year by arresting an illegal Vietnamese guide who was involved in robbing his fellow countryman in Bangkok and then fled. He was finally arrested upon his return to Thailand.
Police Major General Phantana Nuchanart, Deputy Commissioner of the Immigration Bureau, announced on July 3 that this robbery case occurred on August 21, 2023, in the Phra Khanong Police Station area. The perpetrators were a group of Vietnamese youths who pretended to be tour guides, targeting Vietnamese victims as they could communicate easily and the victims were relatively wealthy.
This group of youths entered Thailand on August 16, 2023, through Suvarnabhumi Airport. Later, Mr. Nam, one of the perpetrators, was contacted by Mr. Tran, a Vietnamese tourist, to be a tour guide for him and his 7 friends. They were all staying in a rented house in Soi Sukhumvit 101, Punnawithi 49 Road, Bang Chak, Phra Khanong District.
On the day of the incident, August 21, Mr. Nam and 7-8 accomplices entered Mr. Tran’s residence, armed with sharp knives. They threatened Mr. Tran and his friends, handcuffed them, and chained their legs in a room. They then physically assaulted them and forced them to hand over cash and mobile phones before fleeing. Mr. Tran later filed a complaint with the Phra Khanong Police Station.
Investigation revealed that after the incident, the Vietnamese youth group fled Thailand through the Second Thai–Lao Friendship Bridge border checkpoint on August 26, 2023.
The Phra Khanong Police investigators gathered evidence and requested the Phra Khanong Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for 13 suspects on charges of “robbery committed by three or more persons, unlawful detention, and assault causing bodily or mental harm.”
Later, the Immigration Bureau received information that Mr. Nong, one of the Vietnamese youth group members, had returned to Thailand and was hiding from the arrest warrant in Samut Sakhon City Police Station area. Officials tracked and arrested him near Setthakit Road and transferred him to Phra Khanong Police Station for legal proceedings.”
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