PATTAYA – Police have taken four people into custody, two Chinese and two Thai nationals, after a Chinese man was kidnapped and robbed by men pretending to be police officers earlier this week.
The event happened at about 5.30 am on July 10, outside a noodle shop on North Pattaya Road. Lin Yifan, age 52, was pushed into a white SUV by several men who said they were police.
In his police statement, Lin said he was tied up at gunpoint, robbed of his cash and personal items, then left on the roadside roughly 9 kilometres away near a shooting range on Soi Chaiyapruek 2.
The group transferred around 150,000 baht from Lin’s Chinese bank account using a mobile app. Altogether, the stolen property was valued at more than 230,000 baht.
Police checked CCTV footage and, on Saturday, arrested Han Longding, 37, and Han Zhangchou, 63, both Chinese nationals, along with Siripong Chiebleam, 35, and Thitiphong Phongpiriyakul, 28, both Thai.
During questioning, the suspects said a Chinese man named Mr. Hao Yong paid them to commit the robbery. Reports state that Han Zhangchou drove Han Longding to collect the two Thai suspects for the crime.
Police later found the SUV at a house in the Min Buri district, Bangkok. The suspects had thrown their phones in water, but officers are still working to recover more of the stolen property. Mr. Hao Yong was arrested at Suvarnabhumi Airport as he attempted to flee to Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Officials said the group did not have any ties to real or fake police units, but was a gang focused on theft. They are now facing robbery charges. The investigation is still ongoing.
Recent months have seen several crimes involving fake police in Thailand, many of which have targeted tourists, especially Chinese visitors. These scams often involve imposters who use fear or authority to steal money or valuables from victims less familiar with local laws.
For example, in April 2024, eleven people, including current and former Thai police, kidnapped five Chinese tourists from a Bangkok hotel and forced them to pay 2.5 million baht (about $67,659). Police caught seven suspects.
In January 2025, a woman pretending to be a police officer was arrested for forging documents and extorting hundreds of thousands of baht, saying she wore the uniform for “style”.
These criminals often wear real-looking uniforms or show fake credentials to scare people, usually accusing them of visa problems or other offences. They demand instant payment to let the victim go, taking advantage of language issues and people’s unease about challenging authorities. Some cases even involve abductions, with victims told to send money or hand over valuables.
