A VIETNAMESE man who is suspected to be one of six persons who robbed a Chinese businessman out of 70 million baht in cryptocurrency plus 10 million baht in cash and other assets after raiding his house at a luxury housing estate in Pathum Thani last Wednesday (Aug. 14) has been arrested, TV Channel 7 said this evening (Aug. 16)
Pol. Col. Narong Iamrahong, chief of Pak Khlong Rangsit police station, said the suspect, Mr. Nguyen Ba Hien, 35, was arrested at Baan Klong Luk checkpoint on the Thai-Cambodian border in Sa Kaew province while driving a white sedan and is currently being detained by Immigration Police there.
Aside from being suspected to have joined five others in robbing Chinese businessman Mr. Ke Jibao, 34, at his house the Vietnamese man is also wanted for overstaying his visa and illegally entering the country.
Nguyen Ba Hien, who can speak and follow Thai very well, looked suspicious which led to Immigration Police checking his passport after which they seized his sedan, a mobile phone, and altogether three passports he was carrying.
A team of policemen from Pak Khlong Rangsit station are on their way to bring him back for interrogation which will help speed up tracking down the other gang members.
The victim had told police that the six person in the two-storey house, three men and three women, were asleep when four Chinese men armed with pistols and with their faces covered with balaclavas broke in at around 2 a.m. and forced him to tell his relatives in China to transfer US$2 million in cryptocurrency to their digital account, Thai Rath newspaper said.
They also took cash and other assets from the house worth 10 million baht as well as the surveillance camera server and drove off in his black Toyota Alphard minivan.
Police later found this vehicle in the same province and took it for forensic examination.
The victim was slightly cut on his right wrist while another resident, Mr. Chen Mingfa, 26, was pistol whipped on the forehead.
Police are investigating whether the robbery was possibly a vendetta or stemmed from previous debts.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page: Pak Khlong Rangsit police investigating the robbery.
Insert: The victim’s black Toyota Alphard minivan parked at the police station. All photos: Thai Rath
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