Thai police have arrested a Russian national on Samui Island on charges of robbing a fellow Russian of 1.8 million baht in Bitcoins.
Samui police say that the suspect is believed to be a member of a Russian gang, which has been preying on fellow citizens known to be engaged in Bitcoin investment businesses.
The victim, identified as Yevgini, filed a complaint with Samui police on Friday, claiming that he had been robbed by six Russians as he was having coffee with his wife at a shop in Taling Ngam sub-district.
Four Russians arrived at the coffee shop in a black van and were joined by two others, who arrived on a motorcycle. Yevgini alleges that the men approached him and threatened to harm him if he did not transfer his Bitcoins, estimated to be worth about 112 million baht, to them.
The victim claimed that he had only 1.8 million in Bitcoin in his account and, fearing for his safety, he agreed to transfer that amount to them.
Police say that the gang knew about the victim’s Bitcoinholding by monitoring the activities of Russian Bitcoin investors and their visits to Thailand.
Another suspect is already in Samui police custody after being extradited from Kazakhstan on an arrest warrant issued by the Samui provincial court back in October 2022.
Credit: http://thaipbsworld.com
