Regional Police Region 2, in cooperation with the Immigration Bureau, Tourist Police, Chonburi Provincial Police, and Pattaya City Police, announced on July 12 the arrest of four individuals believed to be directly involved in the incident. The fifth suspect, identified as the alleged mastermind, was apprehended later at Suvarnabhumi Airport while attempting to flee the country.
The victim, a 52-year-old Chinese man identified as Mr. Lin, was abducted in broad daylight in front of a restaurant on North Pattaya Road Sai 3. CCTV footage captured the suspects dragging him into a black SUV on July 10. The suspects later released him near a shooting range approximately 9 kilometers from the abduction site, having allegedly taken $7,070 in cash.
The four arrested suspects were named as Mr. L. Han, 37, Mr. Zh. Han, 63, Mr. Siripong, 35, and Mr. Thitipong, 28. According to police statements, the suspects confessed to the crime and claimed they had been hired by a Chinese man identified only as Hao. They alleged they believed the operation to be related to a debt recovery and were unaware of the amount of money involved.
Investigators traced the getaway vehicle to a residence in Bangkok’s Minburi district, where it was seized. Police say the suspects divided the stolen money after the crime and disposed of the victim’s mobile phone in water to hinder tracking.
The final suspect, Mr. Hao, 30, was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 4:30 p.m. on July 12 while attempting to board a flight to Cambodia. Immigration authorities, acting on a Pattaya Provincial Court warrant, detained him at the departure gate. Hao denied the charges and refused to sign the arrest record. He has since been transferred to Pattaya City Police investigators for further legal action.
The arrests followed coordinated efforts across multiple Thai law enforcement agencies, including Immigration Division 2, Regional Police Region 2, and Pattaya City Police.
