Five Russian individuals have each been sentenced to two years of imprisonment for the abduction of a Russian couple on a resort island province. They coerced the couple into transferring over 30 million baht worth of cryptocurrency.
The Phuket Provincial Court announced the verdict at 2 pm on Wednesday, initially handing down a four-year jail term for collusion in coercion, illegal detention, and related offenses. However, due to their confession, the terms were reduced to two years each without suspension.
Despite a previous police report identifying the couple as Belarusian nationals, the court found the defendants guilty of abducting a Russian couple. The couple claimed they were abducted by a group of men in front of a restaurant near the Lor Rong intersection in Muang district around 10 pm on January 31 of this year.
Forced into a black Hyundai van, they were compelled to transfer approximately US$901,200, equivalent to about 31 million baht, worth of cryptocurrency. Following the transfers, the couple was released and immediately filed a complaint.
The first two Russian individuals were discovered in a room in the area, while the other two were apprehended at Phuket airport as they attempted to leave the country. Subsequently, a fifth suspect, believed to be the mastermind, was captured at a massage shop on Patong beach and interrogated separately.
Initially, all five suspects denied any involvement in the abduction.
