Five excise officers wanted by police for allegedly extorting 5,500 baht from a 75-year-old female grocery store owner in Bangkok’s Sai Mai district on Feb 13 had by Monday night turned themselves into the police to answer their charges.
The five were earlier identified by Anti-Corruption Division (ACD) police as Chayodom Chueathue, an excise specialist; Manot Phrommayan, a driver; Adunphidet Kaiyasi, an excise specialist; Natthaphon Phongsiri, an excise officer; and Thiraphat Ratchakitcha, another officer.
They are attached to the excise-related misconduct prevention and suppression section of the Bangkok Area 5 Excise Office.
Pol Col Anan Worasat, superintendent of Bang Khen police station, said they had been summoned to answer charges in an extortion case and had shown up in the middle of the night on Monday before being released on bail.
They were charged with demanding bribes, dereliction of duty, unlawful detention and trespassing, said Pol Col Anan.
Investigators will forward the case to the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) as the suspects are all state officers, he said.
On Feb 16, Sunaphon Bunkoet, the victim, was assisted by Ekkapop Laungprasert, the founder of Sai Mai Tong Rot (Sai Mai must survive) Facebook page, in lodging a complaint accusing the suspects of extortion.
A police probe found the officers had shown up at her store at about 4.50pm, searched without a warrant, taken two packs of cigarettes and disappeared into their van before later re-emerging to accuse the owner of selling counterfeit cigarettes.
Ms Sunaphon said she had bought all five packs at once from the same supplier and had a receipt, adding she thought it unlikely one packet turned out be fake.
The officers then whisked her away into a waiting van and demanded she pay 20,000 baht. She allegedly gave them all she had, which was 5,500 baht.