A journalist from India was reportedly assaulted, stripped, photographed and blackmailed in Pattaya by his compatriots, according to a complaint filed with police.
The victim, whose identity has been withheld, lodged a complaint at Muang Pattaya Police Station at 1am on Sunday.
He told police that some Indians had contacted him under the pretext of hiring him to take pictures for a tour company with a plan to promote it in the Indian market.
Taking up the offer, he checked into a hotel in the Bang Lamung district of Chon Buri province to prepare himself for the work. But on Friday night those Indians assaulted and stripped him and after photographing him threatened to blackmail him.
“They threatened to send those pictures and even video clips to social-media pages that are well-known in India if I didn’t give them money. I am famous there. So, I had to give them the 200,000 rupees [nearly Bt100,000] I had in my possession,” the victim said.
The attackers allegedly also demanded that the 40-year-old victim sign two cheques for them.
After he gave in, they fled the scene.
The victim, after thinking things over, decided to call a friend for help. The friend is married to a Thai woman and she took him to the police station to lodge the complaint.
Police vowed to investigate the case and nail down the culprits.
