BANGKOK – Police in central Thailand successfully rescued two university students on July 15, 2026. A ruthless call center gang tricked the students into hiding and staging their own kidnappings. The criminals used these fake situations to extort heavy ransoms from the victims’ families.
The drama unfolded near a prominent university campus in the Rangsit area of Pathum Thani province. The operation began after a suspicious mother noticed red flags in her son’s behavior. She quickly realized that scammers were attempting to steal hundreds of thousands of baht.
Key Takeaways
- Deceptive Tactic: Scammers tricked two sophomore university students into self-confinement using fake overseas scholarship documents.
- Extortion Scheme: The gang forced the victims to stage a kidnapping video, successfully stealing 450,000 baht from one family.
- Police Action: Officers traced the students to a local room, rescued them safely, and caught the criminals watching them via a live video call.
According to Pak Klong Rangsit police, the overseas criminal gang targeted second-year college students. The scammers contacted the 19-year-old victims and claimed they won prestigious scholarships to study abroad. To make the scam look real, the gang sent forged documents containing the university’s official logo.
Once the students believed the lie, the scammers changed their tactics completely. The gang told the teenagers that they needed to pay advance fees to secure the international travel. They also ordered the students to cut off all contact with friends and family members.
Staging a Fake Kidnapping
The criminals forced the students to check into a local resort before moving them to a hidden room. From there, the gang ordered the victims to tie themselves up to create a fake hostage situation. The criminals then used these distressing images to demand 450,000 baht from each family.
During the rescue operation, police officers discovered one student with his ankles bound by a towel. Investigators found that the gang was watching the students through a continuous live video call. The police immediately rushed in and brought both teenagers to safety without any physical injuries.
One victim’s mother revealed that she initially sent 350,000 baht after her son expressed excitement about the trip. She grew highly suspicious when a strange voice demanded an additional 100,000 baht for travel expenses. She checked the university’s official data and found that the professor’s social media profile was completely fake.
Local police are urging the public to stay alert against these evolving virtual kidnapping tactics. Authorities emphasize that real police or university officials will never conduct official business through video calls. Families should immediately report any suspicious financial demands to local law enforcement before transferring funds.
