A police lieutenant colonel and three other men were arrested yesterday, September 15, after they allegedly extorted 200,000 baht from a Chinese national in San Kamphaeng district, Chiang Mai province.
San Kamphaeng Police Station officers arrested the lieutenant colonel, who served as an inspector with the Special Operations Sub-Division of Provincial Police Region 5, yesterday. His identity has not been disclosed publicly.
Three other people were arrested in connection with the case on the same day: 28 year old Serksak, 39 year old Narakorn and 38 year old Siraphob.
The arrests followed a complaint from a Chinese national, who told investigators that the police officers, their subordinates and civilians raided entertainment venues in the San Kamphaeng area in August as part of a drug crackdown.
The group reportedly encountered the Chinese man at one entertainment venue. They allegedly took him out of the venue and demanded 200,000 baht in exchange for his freedom.
The Chinese tourist subsequently reported the matter to the Chinese Embassy and San Kamphaeng Police Station. Further investigation led police to identify those allegedly involved.
According to DailyNews, the police lieutenant colonel and the other involved police officers were charged with malfeasance in office and using their positions to extort property.
The arrest report did not provide further details about the alleged extortion or specify the legal punishment imposed on each suspect.
A similar case was reported in Sa Kaeo in May, when five police officers and one civilian were accused of attempting to extort 300,000 baht from five Chinese nationals.
The Chinese nationals reportedly contacted the Immigration Bureau while being detained, saying the officers had accused them of illegal entry into Thailand and threatened them with paying 300,000 baht each to secure their freedom.
Immigration officers then raided the premises where the Chinese nationals were detained, arrested the officers involved and rescued the five Chinese nationals.
Another case was reported in August in Rayong, when a housing development called for an investigation after Chinese residents were extorted by men claiming to be immigration officers.
According to the housing developer, the men allegedly persuaded Chinese residents to pay 2,000 baht for a charity campaign and were also accused of stealing from properties occupied by Chinese nationals.
No public update on the Rayong investigation had been reported at the time of publication.
The story Chiang Mai police lieutenant colonel and 3 others caught extorting Chinese tourist as seen on Thaiger News.
