Pattaya, Chonburi – Immigration officers from Chonburi Immigration and Tourist Police from Pattaya have successfully rescued a Chinese man who was allegedly kidnapped and held for ransom by a fellow countryman in a hotel in South Pattaya.
The operation took place at a hotel on Moo 10 off of South Pattaya Road. Authorities arrested Mr. Liang Wei, 33, a Chinese national, and freed the victim, Mr. Jitao Liu, 32, also Chinese.
Leading the raid were Pol. Col. Naphatphong Phositsuriyamanee, Superintendent of Chonburi Immigration; Pol. Lt. Col. Pramote Fueangfung, Deputy Superintendent of Chonburi Immigration; along with Pol. Lt. Col. Prapda Suksuntree and Pol. Lt. Col. Aphichat Charurak from the Tourist Police Sub-division 4, Region 2, Battalion 2, Tourist Police Division 1, supported by officers from Chonburi Immigration and Pattaya Tourist Police.
The incident began when Chonburi Immigration received a tip from the Immigration Bureau’s Crime Suppression Division Sub-division 1. A Chinese woman, Mrs. Li Jianli, 29, had filed a complaint stating that her husband, Mr. Jitao Liu, arrived at Suvarnabhumi Airport on February 7th, 2026. He was picked up by Chinese friends and taken to stay in the Bangkok area.
According to the complaint, the friends then took Mr. Liu to gamble, which is illegal in Thailand. On February 8th, 2026, Mrs. Li Jianli received contact from her husband via the Telegram app, claiming he had lost 300,000 baht in gambling and instructing her to transfer money to cover the debt. She then transferred approximately 3,000 USDT (equivalent to about 100,000 baht) to a digital wallet as demanded.
On February 10th, 2026, at around 00:10 a.m., Mr. Liu contacted his wife again, revealing his location. The information was relayed to Chonburi Immigration, prompting immediate action.
Upon arriving at the hotel, officers discovered the room door had been locked from the outside. They forced entry by breaking the lock and searched the premises. Inside, they found Mr. Jitao Liu, the victim, along with the suspect, Mr. Liang Wei. Another suspect, Mr. Zhang Lang, 32, a Chinese national, was not present at the scene.
Mr. Liang Wei was taken into custody for questioning. Following the investigation, he was charged with “jointly demanding ransom by unlawfully detaining and confining another person.” He has denied the allegations, noting he was locked in from the outside.
Authorities have revoked Mr. Zhang Lang’s passport and are actively pursuing him for further legal action.
A similar situation took place last week between Indian nationals as we reported here.
