Thailand Horror
'Cheap Thailand tour' turns into nightmare: 3 Indians kidnapped, tortured for ransom by a group comprising Pakistani nationals
Three Indian nationals who were allegedly held captive for ransom by a gang comprising four Pakistani nationals and an Indian were rescued by Thai police from a rented house in Pattaya, according to media reports.
The victims were reportedly lured from India with the promise of an inexpensive tour package before being held captive and tortured for nearly a week in the Thai resort city.
Thai police rescued the three men, aged between 23 and 26, from a house in Bang Lamung district on Monday.
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According to the Bangkok Post, officers found the victims locked inside two bedrooms with their hands, legs and mouths bound. They also had bruises on their ankles, consistent with being beaten with hard objects.
The victims told police they had purchased a seven-day tour package, paying approximately 70,000 baht each. They arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport on July 21 and travelled by taxi to Pattaya.
They said they were instructed to meet at a fast-food restaurant along Sukhumvit Highway in Nongprue at around 7 a.m. From there, an Indian man on a motorcycle allegedly transported them, one by one, to the rented house.
Upon arriving at the property, the victims said they were overpowered and tied up by a group of Pakistani and Indian men.
They told investigators they were subjected to severe physical abuse, including being hung upside down and beaten on their ankles. The captors allegedly forced them to call their families in India and demand a combined ransom of ₹7 million (about 2.4 million baht).
The victims also alleged they were denied food and access to toilets and were tortured on a daily basis during their captivity.
Pol Col Napatpong Kositsuriyamanee, Immigration Chief of Chon Buri, said the victims' relatives contacted Thai authorities seeking help after receiving the ransom demands.
Investigators found that the kidnappers used a phone number registered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), in an apparent attempt to conceal their location. Despite this, police were able to trace the suspects to the rented house, the Bangkok Post reported.
However, the alleged kidnappers fled the scene before officers arrived, and efforts to locate and arrest them are continuing.
The incident comes at a time when Thailand has once again extended visa-free entry to Indian passport holders.
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