Thai immigration officers accused of abducting, extorting visa applicant for crypto

Four Thai immigration officers have been fired for kidnapping and extorting a Chinese man and his Thai associate, police brass said today. 

The Royal Thai Police made headlines again for its own criminality with four immigration officers arrested today on warrants alleging they kidnapped and extorted a Chinese man, 62, and the 38-year-old Thai woman who worked as his translator. 

Two weeks ago, on March 10, the victims had returned home after the older man’s visa renewal was mysteriously rejected by the immigration office at the Government Complex in Chaeng Watthana. Upon their arrival home, men arrived in three cars to kidnap and demand unspecified cryptocurrency worth up to THB2 million (US$66,000).

The Chinese man negotiated that down to THB1 million instead, which sounds about right for your typical police encounter. 

The woman believed that the Chinese…