Thai officials arrest Briton who faked kidnapping to extort money from family

A British tourist, Ian Day, allegedly faked his kidnapping to extort money from his family in the UK after he ran out of cash in Pattaya, Thailand. The sun mentionted.

British police arrested Day, along with Briton Darren Cheeseman, 57, Frenchman Damien Ross, 50, and New Zealander Ben Cooper, 36, after frantic relatives of the 48-year-old reported him FaceTimeing them as his partners he was being held prisoner. .

Police Lieutenant Colonel Sorasak Saengcha, who is leading the investigation at the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), said the man used iMessage and FaceTime to chat with his relatives in the UK.

Saengcha said: “He sent pictures of himself being attacked and then injured. His friends were punching him and bruising his face. He made his three friends wear masks in the videos and act like gangsters.

“He organized the kidnapping and asked his family to send money. They got worried and contacted the police in the UK. Interpol was informed. Interpol contacted the Thai police and we traced the man. But when we arrived, they were partying.”

Police Lt. Gen. Montree Theskhan, commander of the Crime Suppression Division, said the four men were arrested on Saturday on charges of joint possession of unauthorized firearms, ammunition and drugs.

He added: “Time and staff resources were spent rescuing the Briton. We acted quickly because there were fears for his safety. When the police arrived he was doing something illegal himself. He will now be prosecuted.”

Police said the men had overstayed their visas and would be deported when confronted by authorities. They remained in custody last night,