PATTAYA — The group that extorted 700,000 baht from a Chinese duo on the highway, as exposed in a viral social media clip, includes two police officers who were the first to be arrested. One of them is also a famous police singer.
Following the scandalous case where Chinese tourists were allegedly stopped by a group of men claiming to be police officers on the motorway (Highway 7) heading towards Pattaya in Nongprue, Bang Lamung, Chonburi province, and then kidnapped and extorted for 700,000 baht on July 10, the latest investigation has revealed that actual officers from Region 2 Provincial Police were indeed involved.
On the morning of July 23, police arrested Sergeant Thitiwat, age 30, the first suspect, under a warrant from the Pattaya Provincial Court. He was brought in for questioning at Nongprue Police Station, where he denied all charges.
In the afternoon, Police Lieutenant Praderm, age 54, Deputy Inspector (Investigation) of Division 5, Investigation Bureau, the second suspect, turned himself in and also denied all charges. Local media reported that this officer is known as a talented singer for the Royal Thai Police, with a video of him singing “Police Will Come” available on YouTube.
Both officers are charged with “being officials jointly abusing authority, coercing or inducing others to hand over property or benefits, being officials jointly performing or omitting duties improperly to cause damage to others, or performing or omitting duties dishonestly.”
Additional charges include “jointly coercing others to act or not act by instilling fear of danger to life, body, liberty, reputation or property of the coerced person or others, or by using force until the coerced person must comply, and jointly detaining or imprisoning others, or acting in any way to deprive others of bodily freedom.”
Three other suspects – Woraphon Kaensawat (40), Wachira Bannakhon (48), and Kamon Wangsri (33) – face the same charges as the two police officers, with an additional charge of “jointly supporting officials in committing the offense of abusing authority.”
Investigators have seized two suspect vehicles: a white Toyota Fortuner and a black Ford Everest. Forensic police from Region 2 Chonburi have collected latent fingerprints as evidence.
The incident occurred on July 10, and footage was shared on social media on July 15, prompting Police Major General Thirachai Chamnanmor, Commander of Chonburi Provincial Police, along with investigation teams from Region 2 and Pattaya City Police Station, to begin searching for the Chinese victims who had not come forward.
On July 19, police found two Chinese nationals, Jin Cui (43) and Chen Wei (44), hiding in a condominium in Jomtien area. They claimed they were afraid to provide information to the police due to their illegal entry into Thailand.
Both men stated they had fled China due to arrest warrants related to gambling offenses. They entered Laos in early December 2023 and then illegally crossed the Mekong River into Thailand’s Chiang Rai province. From there, they were taken to Chiang Rai airport and then to Pattaya before being arrested.
The two Chinese nationals were handed over to Chonburi Immigration Police for illegal entry charges. Later, Pattaya police requested their transfer to Nongprue Police Station for questioning regarding the 700,000 baht extortion case.
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