A 37-year-old woman and her gangster lover face charges for an armed invasion that netted ฿3.2 million. The duo led a five-man attack, kidnapping business owners for ฿12 million ransom before being arrested. Authorities continue to hunt for accomplices.
Metropolitan Police Bureau officers and Immigration Bureau personnel combined on Monday and Tuesday to apprehend a Chinese gangster and his moll. Certainly, both were the masterminds of an armed invasion of business premises in Huai Khwang on Saturday by five men. At length, this led to the robbery of ฿3.2 million in cash and the later extortion of ฿12 million. During a debriefing late on Sunday night and into Monday morning, one of the Chinese victims revealed suspicions about his ex-wife. At length, police collared her on Tuesday at an exchange booth attempting to convert her ill-gotten loot.
Thai police on Tuesday arrested a 37-year-old woman believed to have been behind a raid on a Chinese business last Saturday. The woman, identified as Ms. Du, is the ex-wife of one of the business partners involved in the affair.
She is also believed to be the current partner of the man who led the raid. 43-year-old Liu Bu was taken into custody by police at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on Monday night.
Earlier, he was identified by Immigration Bureau Police Division 2 through the APPS database system when he checked in to fly to Phnom Penh in Cambodia. He was booked on Sky Angkor Airlines flight ZA679.
The Chinese suspect was identified by the two Chinese victims in the case, as he was known to them.
Armed men raid Huai Khwang office, rob business owners of ฿3.2 million and kidnap them for ransom
The drama began on Saturday when an appointment was made with Mr. JK and Mr. J Se, two Chinese businessmen with an office in Huai Khwang, Bangkok. The pair are understood to be partners in a firm called Nget Property (Thailand) Co., Ltd.
On Saturday, five armed men turned up at the premises. Among them was Mr. Liu Bu and four other foreigners. They restrained the two business owners and took ฿3.2 million in cash. Afterwards, the business owners were kidnapped and taken by vehicle to Nakhon Nayok province.
Duped Chinese woman rescued by Thai police doubted them until her parents arrived in Samut Prakan
Chinese TikTok star believed to have been murdered by another Chinese tourist on Monday, July 1st
This is a small province in central Thailand, just northeast of Bangkok. After that, the men were threatened with murder if they did not pay over ฿12 million. In short, they did, in two payments, to their captors.
Kidnapped businessmen file a complaint with police after being released on the capital’s Highway 351
Subsequently, they were left on the Kaset-Nawamin road area of Highway 351 of the capital. From there, they made their way to Sutthisan Police Station where they filed a complaint. Following this, officers at the station extensively questioned the two men.
Certainly, they were satisfied that the two Chinese men were legitimate business operators. In particular, they ran a business catering to Chinese people seeking accommodation in Huai Khwang, a popular spot for the Chinese community in Thailand. The debriefing by Sutthisan police investigators only ended at 3 a.m. on Monday.
During the extensive debriefing, Mr. J Se mentioned to police his suspicions about his ex-wife.
On Tuesday, this was confirmed when she was apprehended by police converting large amounts of Thai baht to yuan at a local currency exchange.
Evidence against suspect Liu Bu increases as police uncover cash and a passport during investigation
At the same time, on Monday evening, police discovered that Mr. Liu Bu was travelling on an Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) passport.
Furthermore, when the Chinese suspect was searched, police found large amounts of currency and zip ties for restraining people. Certainly, this represented valuable evidence for police on the case.
At this time, police are still searching for the four other armed Chinese men who took part in Saturday’s raid.
In the meantime, Mr. Liu Bu has been charged with conspiracy to commit extortion, conspiracy to commit illegal detention, as well as illegal possession and use of firearms. Furthermore, he is charged with conspiracy involving two or more people to commit an armed home invasion.
Similarly, his lover, Ms. Du, has been charged with conspiracy to commit extortion and illegal detention.
Join the Thai News forum, follow Thai Examiner on Facebook here
Receive all our stories as they come out on Telegram here
Follow Thai Examiner here
Further reading:
Duped Chinese woman rescued by Thai police doubted them until her parents arrived in Samut Prakan
Chinese Tik Tok star believed to have been murdered by another Chinese tourist on Monday, July 1st
South Korean tourist taken from Bangkok nightlife centre, tortured, murdered and buried in a bin
Fear-mongering, fake news and disinformation being stoked in China against visiting Thailand
Chinese tourists arrested on kidnapping and extortion charges insist they are innocent
