THAILAND — A female Chinese student who was studying overseas in Thailand was brutally murdered after her kidnappers failed to receive their ransom from her family in China.
Three Chinese nationals who are suspected of the crime have been arrested by the Chinese authorities.
According to The Nation Thailand, Thai Deputy Police Chief Surachate Hakparn confirmed that Thai police had coordinated with their Chinese counterparts, leading to the arrest of the suspects who had flown to Chengdu, China, on 30 March.
The suspects are currently being interrogated by Chinese police, and it was revealed that they had also committed other crimes in their home country.
The three suspects are suspected of kidnapping, torturing, and murdering a 22-year-old compatriot, identified as Jin Can, before dumping her body in a canal in Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai area.
The three had arrived in Thailand earlier on 20 March. Jin was then abducted from an unnamed university at 1.30 am on 29 March.
Police said the third-year university student had been tortured and killed three days before her body was discovered last Saturday (1 Apr).
On 30 March, a teacher at a university in Bangkok reported to the police that the victim was missing.
Local authorities immediately launched an investigation to search for the student.
On 1 April at around 9 am local time, the victim’s body was found in a large, rainbow-coloured plastic bag in a lotus pond in the Bang Yai area of Nonthaburi province.
Suspects allegedly demanded 500,000 RMB ransom
It is said that the victim’s father in China received a message on Wechat on 29 March morning, demanding him to transfer 500,000 RMB (US$72,650) to a Chinese account.
“The father did not transfer the money because he was confused,” Thai police said.
In addition to the three suspects who were arrested in China, a Thai woman who allegedly introduced Jin to them and helped them flee to China is being interrogated by Thai police, according to Surachate.
It was reported that the three suspects had premeditated the crime and rented a house and a car in the BangYai area where they frequently loitered. The police investigation shows that they left Thailand on 30 March.
It is said that the three suspects are from Hebei province and that they are between 23-24 years old.
