BANGKOK — Police have rescued three Indian nationals who were kidnapped and held for ransom by fellow countrymen in Bangkok. Seven suspects have been arrested in connection with the case.
Police Major General Wason Techaakkarasem, Deputy Commander of the Metropolitan Police, stated that Mr. Sandhu, 22, and five male Indian accomplices: Sourav, 26; Simranjit, 35; Abhishek, 25; Nitin, 36; Gurwinder, 35; and one Pakistani national, Muhammad, 57, were apprehended at a house located in Soi Santikam 8, Samrong Nuea, Muang District, Samut Prakan Province on April 18.
This group of suspects entered Thailand legally. Immigration officials are currently checking their backgrounds and coordinating with the Indian embassy to request detailed information.
Background of the Case
According to police reports, on April 5, Sanjeev, who filed the report that his friends had been kidnapped, traveled to Thailand for tourism with Ramesh and Amandeep. They initially stayed at a hotel in Bangkok’s Sathorn area before moving to Diamond Residence Hotel, room 305, on Silom Road in Bang Rak district on April 11, 2025.
On April 14, 2025, between 6:00-7:00 p.m., Ramesh and Amandeep left the hotel with an unidentified Indian man who picked them up in a taxi, allegedly to travel ahead to Vietnam. Sanjeev did not join them as he had not yet received his visa approval.
On April 16, 2025, Ramesh’s sister contacted Sanjeev via WhatsApp, informing him that she had received communication from someone named Sandhu who claimed to be holding the pair captive. The kidnapper demanded a ransom of 2,500,000 Indian rupees (approximately $29,272) and threatened harm if the demand was not met.
Ransom and Threats
Pol. Maj. Gen. Wason said that the group of Indians pretended to be agents who would arrange jobs for their fellow countrymen in Australia. However, they claimed that the victims needed to stay in Bangkok to process documents. They then tricked and detained the victims in a rented house with another Indian victim, Patel, 40, who had been similarly lured from Don Mueang Airport.
The suspects contacted the victims’ relatives demanding money transfers from India, approximately 1 million baht ($30,000) per person. They threatened that if the victims didn’t comply or contact their relatives, they would be harmed and have body parts cut off.
Police Investigation
Investigators gathered evidence from Sanjeev’s testimony, hotel records, and CCTV footage. They tracked the taxi used in the abduction and coordinated with immigration authorities to verify travel records. After tracing the phone number used by the kidnappers, police located and rescued Ramesh, Amandeep, and Patel at the house in Samut Prakan Province.
All seven suspects were taken to Yannawa Police Station for interrogation and have been charged with illegal detention and attempted extortion. The value of damages so far is approximately 30,000 baht, as officials intervened during the ransom negotiation process.
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