Two university students were rescued in Pathum Thani on Wednesday after being tricked by a scam gang into isolating themselves at a resort and staging scenes to extort money from their parents.
The victims transferred a total of 900,000 baht to the scammers, Pol Col Patthanachai Pamornpiboon, chief of the Pak Khlong Rangsit police station, said on Thursday.
The gang separately called the first-year Rangsit University students on Tuesday evening and claimed they had been awarded overseas study scholarships. They subsequently sent forged documents bearing the national emblem and signatures of university executives to make the claims appear legitimate.
The students were later told to leave their dormitories and move to a resort in Muang district, where they met each other.
The scammers told the pair they were required to maintain a certain balance in their bank accounts for visa applications. The students were instructed to ask their parents to transfer money, while being strictly warned not to tell anyone else.
Media outlets reported the scam also involved the perpetrators shifting stories, posing as police officers and threatening the students with serious criminal charges.
Police were alerted by the university after the pair disappeared from their dormitories and could no longer be contacted.
Investigators quickly traced their movements and verified their location, where the students were rescued late Wednesday morning.
Officers found that one victim had been ordered to remain on a video call at all times so the scammers could monitor his movements and prevent him from contacting others.
The other had been instructed to tie a towel around his ankles and send photographs to his parents to make it appear that he had been kidnapped, thereby pressuring them to transfer more money.
Investigators said the students had transferred about 450,000 baht each to mule accounts.
Authorities are gathering more details, tracing the financial transactions and collecting evidence to prosecute those involved, Pol Col Patthanachai said.
