What was supposed to be a holiday in Thailand turned into a terrifying ordeal for three Indian nationals, who were allegedly held hostage for more than a week by a gang comprising Indian and Pakistani nationals in Pattaya before being rescued on Monday.
The three men were allegedly lured to Thailand through a low-cost tour package before being kidnapped. According to the Bangkok Post, the gang tortured them repeatedly and forced them to demand ransom from their families. Thai police arrested five Indian nationals on Tuesday while they were reportedly preparing to leave the country. Pakistani suspects believed to be involved remain at large.
The arrested men have been identified as Avtar Singh, Jagjit Singh, Rambalak Kumar, Sukhbir Singh and Kulra Singh. They were taken into custody from a hotel in Bangkok's Khlong Tan area.
According to the report, the three victims, aged between 23 and 26, were rescued on July 27 from a two-storey house in Pattaya's Bang Lamung district after investigators tracked the kidnappers to the location. Police said the victims had been enticed with a seven-day budget tour package before being abducted and held for a combined ransom of 2.4 million baht (around Rs 70 lakh).
Investigators said each of the victims had paid about 70,000 baht (roughly Rs 2 lakh) for the tour package before arriving at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport on July 21. They then travelled by taxi to Pattaya and reached a designated meeting point at a fast-food restaurant along Sukhumvit Highway.
According to the victims' statements, an Indian man picked them up individually on a motorcycle and took them to a rented house, where four Pakistani nationals and another Indian accomplice allegedly overpowered and confined them.
Victims allegedly tortured for ransom
When Thai police raided the Pattaya house on Monday, they found the three victims tied up in separate bedrooms with their hands, legs and mouths restrained. Officers also noticed injuries and bruises on their ankles that were consistent with repeated beatings.
The survivors told investigators they were tortured every day during their captivity. They alleged they were hung upside down, beaten on their ankles, denied food and access to toilets, and forced to call their families in India to demand ransom payments.
Photographs released by Thai police, according to the Bangkok Post, showed one of the rescued men covered in red paint. Investigators said the kidnappers used the paint to make it appear that he was seriously injured during video calls made to his family in an effort to pressure them into paying the ransom.
UAE-registered phone number used
The rescue operation began after the victims' families in India contacted Thai authorities for help.
Police Colonel Napatpong Kositsuriyamanee, Immigration Chief of Chon Buri province, said investigators discovered that the gang had used a telephone number registered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, apparently to conceal their location. Despite this, police were able to trace the hideout.
"The victims' relatives phoned Thai police to seek help," Napatpong told the Bangkok Post.
However, the kidnappers reportedly escaped on motorcycles shortly before officers reached the house. Authorities have since launched a manhunt to locate the remaining suspects.
Napatpong said the case highlighted an emerging tactic used by transnational criminal networks, in which travellers are lured with inexpensive tour packages before being kidnapped for ransom after arriving in the country.
The incident comes shortly after Thailand restored visa-free entry for Indian passport holders to encourage tourism from India. Although authorities have not linked the policy to the crime, the case has raised concerns over scams targeting foreign tourists through fake travel offers.
Five Indian nationals arrested
The Bangkok Post later reported that Thai police arrested five Indian nationals in Bangkok on Tuesday for their alleged involvement in the kidnapping.
According to investigators, the accused told police they had been instructed by a Pakistani national, whom they had contacted through a chat application about a month earlier, to abduct the three Indian tourists.
Police believe the alleged mastermind was operating from Dubai and intended to collect the ransom through cryptocurrency transactions. Investigators said the arrested Indian suspects were allegedly promised valuables, cash taken from the victims and flight tickets to leave Thailand after carrying out the abduction.
