police rescue university

Police Rescue University Students Held Hostage by Phone Scam Gang

BANGKOK – Police in central Thailand successfully rescued two university students on July 15, 2026. A ruthless call center gang tricked the students into hiding and staging their own kidnappings. The criminals used these fake situations to extort heavy ransoms from the victims’ families.

The drama unfolded near a prominent university campus in the Rangsit area of Pathum Thani province. The operation began after a suspicious mother noticed red flags in her son’s behavior. She quickly realized that scammers were attempting to steal hundreds of thousands of baht.

Key Takeaways

  • Deceptive Tactic: Scammers tricked two sophomore university students into self-confinement using fake overseas scholarship documents.
  • Extortion Scheme: The gang forced the victims to stage a kidnapping video, successfully stealing 450,000 baht from one family.
  • Police Action: Officers traced the students to a local room, rescued them safely, and caught the criminals watching them via a live video call.

According to Pak Klong Rangsit police, the overseas criminal gang targeted second-year college students. The scammers contacted the 19-year-old victims and claimed they won prestigious scholarships to study abroad. To make the scam look real, the gang sent forged documents containing the university’s official logo.

Once the students believed the lie, the scammers changed their tactics completely. The gang told the teenagers that they needed to pay advance fees to secure the international travel. They also ordered the students to cut off all contact with friends and family members.

Police Rescue University Students

Staging a Fake Kidnapping

The criminals forced the students to check into a local resort before moving them to a hidden room. From there, the gang ordered the victims to tie themselves up to create a fake hostage situation. The criminals then used these distressing images to demand 450,000 baht from each family.

During the rescue operation, police officers discovered one student with his ankles bound by a towel. Investigators found that the gang was watching the students through a continuous live video call. The police immediately rushed in and brought both teenagers to safety without any physical injuries.

One victim’s mother revealed that she initially sent 350,000 baht after her son expressed excitement about the trip. She grew highly suspicious when a strange voice demanded an additional 100,000 baht for travel expenses. She checked the university’s official data and found that the professor’s social media profile was completely fake.

Local police are urging the public to stay alert against these evolving virtual kidnapping tactics. Authorities emphasize that real police or university officials will never conduct official business through video calls. Families should immediately report any suspicious financial demands to local law enforcement before transferring funds.

 Trending News:

Pattaya Police Officers Investigated After Kuwaiti Tourists Allege Extortion

Chiang Mai Police Crack Down on Karaoke Bar for 150,000 Baht Tourist Scam

Similar Posts

  • | | |

    Pakistan to reopen all border, transit routes with…

    A decision has been taken to reopen all border crossings and transit routes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, following a meeting chaired by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi with senior officials and representatives of the business community. The meeting discussed measures to remove obstacles affecting bilateral trade and facilitate the movement of goods between the two countries. Participants also stressed the need to restore normal economic ties and improve trade relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The meeting further focused on making legal travel between the two countries easier and more convenient for their citizens. Officials and business representatives agreed that reopening the routes would help address difficulties faced by traders and support economic activity on both sides of the border. The government also emphasised the importance of reducing unnecessary hurdles in trade and movement while ensuring that legal procedures remain in place.

  • Bus And Train Drivers Charged Following Deadly Bangkok Level Crossing Crash

    BANGKOK, Thailand — Bangkok police have formally charged both the driver of a passenger bus and the engineer of a freight train with reckless driving causing death following Saturday afternoon’s catastrophic collision at a level crossing in the Huai Khwang district that killed eight people and injured 32 others. Witness Describes Hearing Train Warning Signals […]

  • | |

    HR Committee raises alarm over violence against wo…

    Islamabad: Concerns over increasing cases of gender based violence and the protection of women and children came under discussion as the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights reviewed government efforts to prevent crimes, improve investigations and provide better support to victims. The committee questioned whether existing systems are strong enough to protect victims and ensure quick justice, while calling for clearer laws, wider awareness campaigns and improved access to support services. The 13th meeting of the committee reviewed the performance of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), government measures against violence and progress on previous recommendations. The meeting was chaired by Committee Chairperson Asiya Naz Tanoli, with Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Barrister Danyal Chaudhry serving as co chair.   During the briefing, NCSW informed the committee that its complaint management system has been active for the last five months to help women report problems and receive support. Officials said consultants working on the complaint system received special training with support from Rozan to improve complaint handling. The committee was also informed that gender based data is being updated through the National Gender Data Portal to help the government make better policies based on facts. Officials said the first Gender Parity Report has already been published and future reports will include provincial level information. The committee was informed that NCSW has also conducted media training sessions to improve reporting of rape and gender violence cases. Officials said journalists were trained to report such sensitive cases with responsibility, dignity and care for victims. The Ministry of Human Rights told the committee that reported cases of gender based violence increased between 2022 and 2024, leading authorities to strengthen special investigation units and women and child protection units. Officials said police officers and relevant staff received specialised training while complaint systems were improved to provide faster support to victims. Barrister Danyal Chaudhry stressed that awareness about harassment laws is necessary in both public and private institutions. He said people must understand their rights and responsibilities so that victims can seek help and legal procedures remain clear for everyone involved. He also called for removing confusion around the definition of harassment so that both complainants and accused persons understand their legal position. The parliamentary secretary recommended wider promotion of the Ministry of Human Rights 1099 helpline and the 1121 child helpline through newspapers, pamphlets and other awareness campaigns. He said many people are unaware of available support services and greater publicity can help victims reach authorities quickly. Committee member Shahida Rahmani suggested presenting a real rape case as a case study before the committee. She said studying actual cases could help lawmakers prepare practical recommendations to improve the justice system. The Secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights informed the committee that some countries provide free trial systems for rape victims. He suggested that Pakistan should examine the possibility of introducing a similar system to make justice safer, easier and more accessible for victims.

  • | |

    Russia blasts Japan over Putin’s Kuril visit

    MOSCOW: Russia has strongly condemned recent remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi concerning President Vladimir Putin’s visit to Iturup Island. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described Tokyo’s criticism as unacceptable and rejected Japan’s objections to Putin visiting the island, which Moscow considers part of Russian territory. Zakharova accused senior Japanese officials of attempting to dictate where the Russian president could travel within his own country. She said Moscow regarded the Japanese statements as politically motivated and legally invalid, arguing that Russia’s sovereignty over the southern Kuril Islands was not open to question. The dispute over the islands remains one of the most sensitive issues in Russia-Japan relations. Japan refers to the southern islands as the Northern Territories and maintains its own claim over them. Zakharova said Tokyo’s current approach reflected what she called an increasingly hostile policy towards Russia. She criticised Japan for joining Western sanctions against Moscow and for providing political, military and technical support to Ukraine. According to the Russian spokeswoman, these policies have seriously damaged bilateral relations that had been developed over decades. She also accused Japan of undermining international legal principles while attempting to lecture Moscow on international law and the future of bilateral relations. Zakharova further argued that Japan’s policies did not serve the interests of its own population or contribute to regional stability. Moscow maintains that the southern Kuril Islands became part of the Soviet Union following the Second World War and argues that their status was established through post-war agreements. The Russian official also accused Tokyo of reviving what she described as revisionist and revanchist narratives. She warned that such rhetoric could have wider consequences for peace and security across the Asia-Pacific region. Russia said the latest Japanese statements risked further damaging already strained relations between the two countries and ran counter to broader regional efforts to promote stability, cooperation and peace.

  • | |

    Spain accuses EU allies of ‘selfish’ r…

    Spain has accused several European Union governments of a selfish and unlawful reaction after nearly 60,000 migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta from Morocco, triggering a wave of statements from EU member states calling for tighter border restrictions. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, in a letter addressed to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, described the response from unnamed member states as selfish, polarizing and unlawful. According to a report by the British broadcaster, Sanchez said Madrid had restored order within 48 hours, returning most of the migrants to Morocco and preventing them from reaching mainland Europe. The diplomatic dispute was triggered largely by Italy’s response, which included a temporary suspension of visa free travel with Spain under the Schengen arrangement, along with pointed criticism accusing Madrid of encouraging human trafficking by granting citizenship to more than 500,000 people who had entered the country irregularly. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote on social media that he supports closing the Schengen area to Spain and expressed confidence in the actions of Italy’s interior minister, Matteo Piantedosi. He said uncontrolled and irregular immigration represents a threat to national security, and argued that the situation unfolding in Ceuta demonstrates how Spain’s decision to naturalize large numbers of irregular immigrants was fundamentally wrong and only encourages trafficking. Italy was not alone in calling for a tougher stance. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis went further, calling for Spain to be suspended immediately from the 29 member Schengen arrangement. Finland and Denmark also voiced support for stricter border controls in response to the crisis. Notably, Ceuta itself lies outside the Schengen zone, meaning the enclave is not directly governed by the same free movement rules at the center of the diplomatic dispute between Madrid and its European partners. The clash highlights long standing tensions within the European Union over how to handle migration pressure at its external borders, an issue that has repeatedly strained relations between member states with differing approaches to asylum policy, border enforcement and integration in recent years.  

  • | |

    Public projects are people’s right, not a gift: …

    ISLAMABAD, July 26: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said that facilities and development projects built for the public should not be described as gifts. He said these projects are the people’s right. In a video statement, Bilawal said people were being told about promises involving buses, roads and airports. He welcomed every project aimed at improving public facilities. He said he would welcome every new bus service. He would also welcome every road, hospital and airport built for the people. However, Bilawal stressed that such facilities should not be presented as gifts to the public. He said the people have a right to better transport, healthcare, roads and other basic services. The PPP chairman said his party had also taken practical steps instead of making only promises. He claimed that around 3,000 new employment opportunities had been created through PPP initiatives. Bilawal also spoke about Mirpur Airport. He said he had personally worked to secure funds for the airport in the previous budget. He said the allocation was made during the budget process to support the airport project. He presented the initiative as part of efforts to improve facilities for the people of the region. Bilawal also criticised his political opponents while discussing development work in Azad Jammu and Kashmir. He said it appeared that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leaders Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz were standing with their minister. The PPP chairman also referred to a stadium where his political opponents had recently addressed a gathering. He said the stadium was constructed during a previous PPP government. Bilawal said his focus was not limited to development projects. He said he wanted the people of Kashmir to receive their fundamental political and economic rights. He specifically mentioned the right to governance, ownership and employment. According to Bilawal, providing these rights to the people would be more important than announcing development projects as gifts. He said people should have ownership over the resources and development of their region. They should also have access to employment opportunities. Bilawal maintained that governments must fulfil their responsibilities towards citizens. Public infrastructure, he said, should be viewed as an entitlement. He added that roads, hospitals, transport services and airports are built using public resources. Therefore, they should not be used as political gifts.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *