Bang Lamung police probe Chinese family abduction

Police in Bang Lamung are investigating claims that a Chinese woman and her young daughter were taken by a suspected Chinese call-centre gang to pressure the woman's husband not to report them.

The husband went to Bang Lamung Police Station at 5.05pm on 5 August 2026, saying his wife and daughter had been removed from their home in a housing estate in the Rong Po area of Chonburi's Bang Lamung district.

He alleged that the group was led by Chinese nationals and had taken his family after he escaped from them and sought police help.

CCTV trail led police to resort

Chonburi Immigration Police, Pattaya Tourist Police and Bang Lamung Police immediately began investigating. CCTV footage from the estate showed the woman and child leaving the house with a Chinese woman known to them before getting into a car and leaving the area.

During the inquiry, the husband made a video call to his wife. Police said she appeared frightened and was crying throughout the call, but could not tell her husband where she was being held.

Investigators later found that the group had taken the mother and daughter to a resort in Nong Pla Lai, Bang Lamung, before switching vehicles and travelling elsewhere. After learning police were closely pursuing them, the group released the pair at around 2.30am on 6 August in Soi Na Kluea 16, Na Kluea.

Officers then took all those involved to Bang Lamung Police Station for questioning.

Conflicting accounts remain under review

In her initial statement, the woman said she had argued with her husband earlier and had only gone elsewhere to stay. Police said they had not accepted that account at face value because evidence and statements from several people contained contradictions.

Investigators believe the husband may previously have worked with the group and was allegedly held for about one month after trying to leave it. He is said to have escaped and reported the matter to police, prompting the group to hold his wife and daughter to deter him from making a complaint.

Those allegations remain under investigation, with officers gathering evidence to establish what happened and whether the case is linked to a transnational criminal network or a call-centre scam operation.

Police also checked the record of Liu Minglong, 37, a Chinese national described as one of those involved. They found he had overstayed his permitted stay in Thailand by 56 days.

Liu had previously been arrested under a Pattaya Provincial Court warrant in June in a case involving joint fraud, forging official documents, using forged official documents and entering false information into a computer system. He was located and detained for legal action.

Police said they will examine financial routes, the relationships between those involved and all available evidence before proceeding against any offenders.

Pictures courtesy of SiamRath

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8 August 2026