Kamphaeng Phet — The Deputy National Police Chief flew in urgently to follow up on a chilling case in which a gang abducted a Chinese woman from Bangkok and was about to deliver her across the Mae Sot border, only to break through a police checkpoint and abandon the victim in the middle of Kamphaeng Phet. Additional charges have been filed, and investigators have been ordered to expand the probe all the way to the human trafficking network behind the operation.
Today (27 Aug.), Police General Thatchai Pitaneelaboot, Deputy National Police Chief, traveled to the area to monitor progress in the alarming case involving a group of suspects who kidnapped a Chinese woman from Bangkok before fleeing and abandoning their victim in the middle of Kamphaeng Phet city.
The incident occurred on 23 August. Four suspects kidnapped the young Chinese woman from Bangkok, bound her hands, placed her in a sedan, and headed toward the Mae Sot border. As they passed through Kamphaeng Phet Province, they encountered a police checkpoint, at which point the suspects accelerated through the checkpoint and fled before deciding to dump the victim in the middle of the road. She was subsequently assisted by good Samaritans in the area. Police later managed to intercept and arrest all four members of the gang.
Pol. Gen. Thatchai spoke with and comforted the young Chinese victim through an interpreter, inquiring about her psychological state and the details of the incident. He then joined an investigation team meeting to review the suspects' conduct, during which members of the media were not permitted to take photographs inside the meeting room. The meeting concluded at approximately 2:00 p.m., after which he departed.
All four suspects are currently being held on remand at Kamphaeng Phet Central Prison. In addition to the original charges of jointly detaining and confining another person and jointly causing bodily harm, investigators have now filed an additional charge of armed robbery. Despite this, all four suspects have continued to deny every allegation during the investigation phase.
Given that the suspects' conduct bears the hallmarks of a gang that abducts foreign nationals and of a human trafficking operation, authorities will conduct an expanded investigation to trace links leading to the masterminds. Should any additional individuals be found to be involved, they will be arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law without exception.
As for the Chinese victim, officials will expedite the completion of her formal victim statement as quickly as possible before coordinating her safe return to her home country.
It was also reported that, on this occasion, the Deputy National Police Chief commended the Kamphaeng Phet police for the speed of their response — praising both the effectiveness of their checkpoint operations and their strong relationships with community networks, which produced crucial tip-offs that led to the swift arrest of the suspects.
