Police seek custody of corporal suspected of kidnapping online gambling couple
Officers from Bang Na Police Station on Monday asked Phra Khanong Criminal Court to approve the detention of a police corporal suspected of helping his boss kidnap a couple who allegedly owed money to an online gambling operator.
Police investigators took Pol Corporal Apisit Chasanthia, a unit chief of the Hi-Tech Crime Division, to the Phra Khanong court at 9.20am to seek custody for 12 days pending an investigation into his alleged crime.
On Saturday, the Phra Khanong court had allowed police custody until April 13 of
Apisit’s superior, Pol Major Kom Rodphao, an inspector in the division under the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, to investigate the alleged kidnapping.
The court rejected Kom's bail application, as he could intimidate witnesses.
Apisit and Kom have been charged with conspiring with 13 other men to kidnap and illegally detain Kanchanaporn Chuankrood and Thawatchai Sroythong and forcing them to pay THB400,000 in cash and a gold amulet worth THB650,000 for debt the couple allegedly owed a gambling web operator.
Cyber Crime Investigation commissioner Pol Lt-General Korchai Klayklueng signed an order on Saturday removing Apisit and Kom from police service, pending the outcome of the cases against them.
Apisit hid his face in his shirt and declined to make any remarks while being taken to the court. He said he reserved his right to testify only in court.
Bang Na police commander Pol Colonel Monsek Trakulphanit said police would seek arrest warrants from the Phra Khanong court on Monday for the arrest of four more suspects, who are all civilians.
He said police investigators are still gathering evidence and if more people are implicated by new evidence, police would seek arrest warrants against them.
Police have not yet received any commitment whether the alleged victims would meet the investigators.
Trairong said other alleged accomplices in the kidnapping case also have not yet contacted investigators to turn themselves in.