A Chinese tourist was kidnapped, tied up, threatened with a gun and robbed of more than 230,000 baht (6,061 euros) by fake police officers in Pattaya.
Updated July 13 : 5 suspects arrested
See: Thailand: 5 arrests after tourist robbed by fake police officers in Pattaya
This is another embarrassing case for Thailand, as the number of Chinese tourists has fallen sharply following the kidnapping of several nationals by call centers in Myanmar.
See: Thailand: Tourism collapses as Chinese visitors fall
Kidnapped, threatened and robbed in Pattaya
Lin Yifan (right), accompanied by his Thai girlfriend, files a complaint at the Pattaya Police Station after being kidnapped and robbed by men posing as police officers in Pattaya on Thursday, July 10, 2025. Photo: Chaiyot Pupattanapong/Bangkok Post
The incident occurred at 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, July 10, according to Pattaya .
Surveillance video captured the moment two men dressed in dark clothing forced the victim into a vehicle outside a food stall on North Pattaya Road, near Pattaya Sai 3, in the Na Kluea district.
A witness, who wished to remain anonymous, said three Chinese men, including the victim, later identified as Lin Yifan, 52, were eating noodles together and after finishing their meal, they went their separate ways.
Mr. Lin then used an app to call a taxi and as he waited, a white SUV pulled up and men wearing black hoodies got out of the vehicle and pushed him inside.
He struggled and tried to escape, but was eventually dragged into the car, which sped off.
The witness said that no one dared to intervene, thinking it was a legitimate police operation, because he heard the man in black shout:
"I'm the police! You're a call center scammer!"
Mr. Lin then reported the crime to the Pattaya police.
He explained that once in the vehicle, his hands were tied behind his back, and that he was threatened with a weapon, without being able to confirm whether it was a real gun.
The suspects, who spoke a mixture of Thai and English, searched him and stole two iPhones, 15,000 baht in cash and a pair of glasses.
He was later released at a shooting range about 9 km from where he was abducted.
A shooting range security guard said he saw the Chinese man in shock asking for help, so he quickly called the police.
The investigation revealed that the suspects also transferred 150,000 baht from Mr. Lin's Chinese banking app.
In total, he lost more than 230,000 baht.
Police are still searching for the suspects.
Rising crime causes concern in Pattaya
Tourists on Pattaya's Walking Street. Photo: Toast to Thailand
For several months, Pattaya has been facing a resurgence of criminal acts targeting tourists and expatriates.
Pickpocketing, nighttime assaults, extortion: cases are on the rise.
This rise in insecurity is beginning to weigh heavily on the image of the seaside resort, once perceived as festive, but relatively safe.
Local authorities say they have stepped up patrols and controls in sensitive areas, but many expatriates, foreign visitors and locals are now expressing distrust.
See :
Thailand: Crime wave in Pattaya worries tourists and expats
He invites a prostitute into his room in Pattaya... she robs him and runs away
Thailand: Police dismantle child trafficking ring in Pattaya
Thailand: 2 Arrested After Russian Tourist Attacked in Pattaya
Thailand: Foreign bikers return to wreak havoc in Pattaya
Thailand: Transgender woman killed and mutilated by tourist in Pattaya
Thailand: Tourist stabs passersby and causes panic in Pattaya
Thailand: Increase in attacks on foreigners by delinquent teenagers in Pattaya
Ladyboy pickpockets continue to plague Pattaya, eastern Thailand
Source: Bangkok Post
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6 comments
Since we're telling you that Thailand has been voted the safest tourist destination in the world in 2025...
LOL
It couldn't have come at a worse time, coming just after Scandasia published a newspaper article praising Thailand as the safest holiday destination in the world, according to a new analysis by Travenbag, a British travel agency specializing in long-haul flights.
And to add the icing on the cake, the victim is Chinese, thus adding another layer to the apprehensions of Chinese tourists about choosing Thailand as a holiday destination...
This is not what will bring Chinese tourists back to the former land of smiles, which in just a few years has become the flagship country for scams, kidnappings, all-out daily corruption, urban violence and other forms of violence, revealed almost daily in the press and social media. On this front, we can trust Chinese social networks when it comes to spreading a negative image in the communist empire of individuals, a company, a nationality, a country that becomes an "enemy of the people" by attacking its citizens.
The image that Thailand presents to the world today is that of a country eaten away, gangrened by urban violence, the insecurity of its most popular tourist towns, without political, police and judicial leaders finding solutions to put an end to this rise in delinquency and criminality that has become permanent...
Certainly, outside of these large tourist centers targeted by criminals of all calibers and levels, mainly targeting "rich" foreign tourists, there are, fortunately, many regions, off the beaten track where tourists escape this destructive frenzy of an image of Thailand which urgently needs to be put to an end, and at this level, human and material resources must be made available to all the country's forces in charge of urban security, day and night.
Solutions exist and they are known, very well known!!!
Implementing them seems to be an insurmountable task for politicians!
Therefore, it will come as no surprise that, if the trend does not reverse, in the coming months and years, during the peak seasons for international tourism, Thailand will be shunned and ignored, despite all its assets and the beauty of its sites throughout the country...
We are in a very bad situation and the trend at the moment is more towards rats leaving the boat than towards the refloating and repair of the ship "Tithailand" to put it back on the high seas!
But no, nothing is happening in Thailand, since we tell you that it is the safest country in the world...
HS, not so much.
Currently in France, there are "suicides" and some even fall from great heights...
Finally, people who disturb the power.
Sad France (without F).
Certainly, "Pier"... and in our country, whether in France or more generally in our European entities, it is more insidious, more studied, more hypocritical, better executed, with more preparation, more murderous discretion, more "professional", but just as ignoble, for the "greatness" of the nation!!!
Yes indeed, in France, Macron's opponents are dropping like flies, Delawarde, Denécé and Marleix just before his shocking book which was going to expose the corruption of the Macronian regime or Macronistan.
Not to mention all the other suspicious suicides within intelligence.
Suspicious death, or suicide (or assisted suicide against their will) when they are seen all smiles and full of plans just before.
Does Macron want to surpass Mitterrand in this area?
Finally, in Thailand, it is Hun Sen who is targeted, notably for the death of the Franco-Cambodian opponent in Bangkok, but he currently appears to be a small player, compared to Macron.
Some say that his boyfriend/girlfriend, Benella, is behind this, who knows?
Finally, this has led to a fear reaction on social networks where all the resisters are displaying that they are not suicidal, just in case.
Poor France!