Five Indians held in Thailand over Pattaya kidnapping-for-ransom case

Bangkok,UPDATED: Jul 29, 2026 14:58 IST

Five Indian nationals have been arrested in Thailand for allegedly abducting three fellow Indians and demanding ransom for their release, according to local media reports. The suspects were held from a hotel in Bangkok's Khlong Tan area on Tuesday while they were waiting to board an outbound flight, the Bangkok Post reported, citing police.

The three victims, all tourists, were rescued by police from a house in Pattaya on Monday evening after the Indian Embassy in Thailand alerted local authorities following complaints from their relatives. The abductors had allegedly demanded INR 40 lakh from the family of each victim.

Police identified the five suspects as Avtar Singh, 38, Jagjit Singh, 38, Rambalak Kumar, 24, Sukhbir Singh, 37, and Kulra Singh, 27. Investigators said the accused told them they had been instructed by a Pakistani national, whom they had known through a chat application over the past month, to abduct the three men. The alleged mastermind is believed to be based in Dubai and had planned to receive the ransom in cryptocurrency, according to the report. Police said the accused had been promised valuables, cash and airline tickets to leave Thailand after carrying out the operation.

The victims were allegedly lured to Pattaya through what was presented as a low-cost seven-day holiday package. Instead, they were taken to a house, where they were held captive for several days and tortured before being rescued, the report said.

The investigation began after the Indian Embassy alerted Chonburi Immigration Police and Pattaya City Police on July 21 after receiving complaints from the victims' relatives, The Nation newspaper reported. The families reportedly shared recordings of video calls showing the victims with their hands and feet bound and allegedly being assaulted. Acting on intelligence and security camera footage, police raided a two-storey townhouse in Pattaya and rescued the three men, identified as Mohit, 23, Ashish, 24, and Himanshu, 20.

Police told the newspaper that the victims were found separately confined on the second floor of the house, with their hands and feet tied and their mouths taped. They also had signs of assault. Investigators recovered adhesive tape, a wooden object allegedly used in the assaults, and red spray paint, which they believe was used to stage photographs and videos of the victims that were sent to their families to pressure them into paying the ransom. According to the report, the rescued men also told investigators that another Indian national had been held at the same property before they arrived and was allegedly released after his relatives paid about INR 30 lakh.

The case centres on the alleged abduction of three Indian tourists in Thailand, their rescue from a house in Pattaya, and the arrest of five Indian suspects in Bangkok as police investigate a wider ransom plot allegedly linked to a man believed to be based in Dubai.

With PTI Inputs

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