Three Chinese students, who were kidnapped for a 1.5 million baht ransom last week, have been safely rescued in Tak Province near the Myanmar border. Thai police believe the abduction was part of an organized crime operation involving local collaborators.
The victims, identified as Mr. Chi (18), Mr. Yu (20), and Mrs. Sun (18), had entered Thailand on student and tourist visas in late 2023. On October 17, 2024, they were lured from Bangkok to Tak Province under the guise of a high-paying job. After being taken to a remote area near Phop Phra district, the kidnappers, reportedly armed, demanded a ransom of 300,000 yuan ($42,130) from the students’ families, threatening to send them to a call center gang in Myanmar if they refused.
One of the victims, Mrs. Sun, managed to contact her mother in China, who transferred 100,000 yuan ($14,045). Before further money could be sent, the kidnappers unexpectedly released all three students. Acting on information from local residents, police found the victims in a forested area of Mae Sot district on October 22, unharmed but shaken.
The students were taken to Tak Immigration Office for medical checks and placed under protection. Authorities are continuing the investigation, focusing on identifying the Thai nationals involved, including the driver who transported the victims to the forest.
