Debt collectors do it better
A woman in Udon Thani has emerged worse for wear after a gang kidnapped her for ransom in a bungled attempt to recover a 10-year-old loan taken out by her younger sister.
The gang took Sasithorn Singkhon or "Tim" (no surname given), 54, to a remote spot in a forest as they negotiated with her family for her release. However, police were able to track them down before any money changed hands.
Ms Tim, however, was beaten over the head with the butt of a gun, and later admitted to hospital with internal bleeding.
After tracing their location, Chai Wan police nabbed the kidnappers, a gang of four including the daughter and son-in-law of the woman who originally extended the 200,000 loan and later handed it over to her family to chase up.
Pannga or "Bud" (no surname given), 56, supposedly a former land agent, said she made 1.5 million baht in a property deal almost 10 years ago and decided to lend some of it to a husband and wife couple, Pichit, or "Thep" (no surname given), 48, and his wife Chabatip, 44.
Her husband knew them from their days selling sugar cane in the area. Media reports say Bud's husband was later jailed for life for dealing in drugs, amid speculation the money lent to the couple may in fact be the proceeds of drug deals.
Regardless, the couple barely bothered to make repayments, and Bud eventually lost interest in chasing up the loan.
She handed the loan over to her daughter and son-in-law, as they were short of money. If they could extract the money from the lenders, it was theirs to keep.
Unknown to her, however, the daughter Jirapreeya Pakphin, 36, and her husband, Banphot Ritmaha, 40, decided to kidnap debtor Chabatip's elder sister, Ms Tim, to extract demand for repayment.
Ms Tim was not connected to the loan saga but would routinely look after Chabatip's children so was known to the kidnappers.
Accompanied by two associates, they turned up last week in a pickup outside the house owned by Ms Tim's mother, Grandma Daeng, 79.
They called Ms Tim over and abruptly bundled her into the truck.
Ms Tim was taken off to a remote spot as the gang negotiated with her startled mother for her release.
The kidnap plot was almost destined to fail, as Grandma Daeng has no money.
The gang, comprising Bud's daughter, Jirapreeya, her husband, Banphot, and two of his associates, Ritchai Traithip, 31, and Payaow Motham, 42, called Grandma Daeng demanding 170,000 baht, the unpaid balance of the loan, to be delivered within the hour.
She complained she could not raise a sum that large, so they asked for an initial payment of 30,000 baht.
However, she didn't have that kind of money either, so asked if she could take out a loan.
The gang changed tack and asked her to deliver her pickup to the front of Bud's house instead, in return for which they would release their captive.
Grandma Daeng
Grandma Daeng and her relatives, meanwhile, alerted police to the kidnap plot. They had her call the kidnappers so they could trace the call, which they pinned down to a forest in Wang Sam Mo district.
Police had Grandma Daeng's relatives deliver the pickup to Bud's house in Kumphawapi district as demanded.
Meanwhile, a team of 30 police rounded up the kidnappers in the forest after pinning down their location, and rescued their captive, Ms Tim. She was wearing a black eye after Bud's daughter, Ms Jirapreeya, belted her with the butt of a gun.
Media reports said her condition was worse than appeared, as the head injury led to a build-up of blood inside her head. She was admitted to hospital where she is recovering.
Asked why she had attacked Ms Tim, Ms Jirapreeya said her family had chased up the money for years, to no avail. She hit Ms Tim out of anger after the victim abused her and her family, she said.
All four gang members admitted kidnapping the victim.
After being alerted to the kidnap plot, Chai Wan police invited in Grandma Daeng, at whose house the kidnapping occurred, and Bud, the lender, who said she knew nothing about the kidnap plot and agreed the gang had gone too far.
Debtor Mr Pichit, meanwhile, said he regrets what happened to Ms Tim, who was an innocent party to the saga. She helped raise his children for him and those of various relatives. He vowed to repay the debt, even if he was 10 years late.
Police charged the gang with kidnapping.
Doing the carpark crawl
A thief in Nakhon Si Thammarat put on a dramatic display of contrition after being caught stealing electric wiring from a local polytech.
A Nakhon Si Thammarat thief crawls across a car park out of contrition.
News clips showed Wiriya, or "Ta" (no surname given), 25, crawling over the ground at Nakhon Si Thammarat Polytechnic College, which reported the theft.
He begged the deputy director and a teacher not to pursue legal action, without success.
As a group of men from the polytech stood around watching, Wiriya prostrated himself and crawled across a car park as he begged for his freedom. Contemplating his fate and the abject state in which he now found himself, news reports asked, "Why didn't you think of this before?"
Wiriya, who burst into tears after police arrived, said he lives behind the polytech and decided to break in when security guards stepped away.
He stole electric wiring, which he burned down to expose the copper wiring beneath. He sold the copper wiring to local traders, but was caught.
Police, who charged him with theft, do not believe his claims to be a first-time offender, as the polytech had complained of having its electric wiring stolen before.
Oops, I can't swim
A drug dealer had to be rescued from a river where he jumped after soldiers turned up to search his place for drugs.
Troops rescue a hasty drug dealer.
Dech (no surname given), 27, jumped into the river beside his place in Cho Po Ro sub-district of Kra Buri district, Ranong province, even though he can't swim.
As the soldiers arrived, Dech was standing outside. When he saw them, he leapt in, apparently without fear for his life.
Dech started to struggle in the water moments after entering it. Soldiers from the 25th Infantry Brigade, on the lookout for drug dealers in the area, were forced to jump in after him to rescue their fleeing suspect.
News images showed the soldiers, part of a special operations unit, dragging him to the shore. Dech was soaked but otherwise no worse for wear.
Troops, who had heard the house was popular with local teens looking for a fix, later found 48 ya ba pills hidden in front of his motorbike.
Dech said he bought 50 pills from a dealer for 40 baht each. He took some himself but was selling the rest to local teens for 50 baht apiece.
He was sent to Pak Chan police in Kra Buri for further action.
