PHUKET — Tourist Police officers and Kamala Police Station officers arrested four young foreign suspects who allegedly lured a Ukrainian tourist and robbed him of 250,000 U.S. dollars (8.56 million baht).
Initially, they were arrested at the Palm Inn Hotel in Khok Kloi, Takua Thung district, Phang Nga Province, and were sent to Phuket’s Kamala Police Station around 1 a.m. on November 11.
Mr. Arman, 21, an Armenian national; Mr. Alfred, 18, a Ukrainian national; Mr. Ruslan, 22, a Ukrainian national; and Mr. Mraz, 21, a Russian national, were wanted on a warrant issued by Phuket Provincial Court on November 10, 2024, for “armed robbery, unlawful detention or restraint of the liberty of another person, and coercing the victim to act against his will or for the benefit of the perpetrators or others.”
The incident occurred on November 8 at around 10:45 p.m. when Mr. Viacheslav, a 23-year-old Ukrainian, was invited to a meeting in a room by Mr. Alfred, a friend. When he arrived at the entrance of the house, Mr. Arman accompanied him to the room where the incident took place.
Later, when Viacheslav went to the bathroom, he found two men there, both with faces covered with black cloth. One was wearing black long pants and a black long-sleeved shirt, the other a long-sleeved shirt and long pants. The two men attacked him and put him in a chokehold. All three perpetrators then tied his hands and feet with ropes and cable ties.
Arman threatened Viacheslav and forced him to transfer 500,000 U.S. dollars in cryptocurrency, saying they would break his fingers if he refused. During the threat, Mr. Arman held a hammer in his hand while the other masked men stood nearby holding sharp-edged weapons. After negotiation, the perpetrators reduced the demand to 250,000 U.S. dollars, equivalent to 8.56 million baht.
After the perpetrators confirmed that the money had been transferred, they tied him to the bed and threatened him not to tell anyone or report the incident. They then took belongings from the room and fled.
Viacheslav managed to free himself within about five minutes. He then went to reception and asked to photograph the passports of the room’s tenants, where he found that the room was registered to Arman and Alfred.
He advised the staff not to clean the room in order to preserve evidence. He then rode a motorcycle to Phuket airport to look for the three suspects but did not find them. He returned to his residence in Rawai, considered the risk to his own safety, and finally decided to report the incident to Kamala Police Station.
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