Unidentified man demands B25 million in exchange for woman’s return
PUBLISHED : 8 Jun 2024 at 16:01
Help has been requested for a Chinese woman who was apparently kidnapped in Thailand and is being held for a ransom of 25 million baht.
Phra Kanong police in Bangkok were contacted by an interpreter for a cycling association on Friday, reporting that a 27-year-old Chinese woman named Lu Xinlei was being held for ransom.
According to the interpreter, a coach of the association was contacted by Ms Lu’s father after she went missing during a cycling trip in the country. Despite travelling with about 10 other cyclists, she vanished on Wednesday.
An unidentified man subsequently contacted the woman’s father on Friday, demanding 5 million yuan, or about 25 million baht, for her return to Shanghai.
In an update on Saturday, authorities said Ms Lu was confirmed as having left the Quarter Onnut hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 58 alone just after 3pm on Wednesday. Checks with immigration did not find any evidence that she had left Thailand.
All other members of the cycling party are being tracked down to confirm their safety and so that further information on the case can be collected.
Police are looking to have the interpreter, who identified himself only as Moo, give a statement in person, as he has only spoken to authorities by phone so far. No confirmation of the suspected kidnapping has yet been made.