Phuket kidnappers 'were Russian loan sharks'

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Phuket kidnappers 'were Russian loan sharks'
Eakkapop Thongtub



The two wanted Russians: Novichkov (left) and Boychuk.


The Blue Garden Resort, where the nightmare took place. Google Street View.

PHUKET: -- Police are still not sure whether missing Russian expat Alexei Slabinskiy is still alive, but more details of the nightmare emerged this morning (March 21) at a meeting at Kamala police station.

Pol Maj Gen Witsanu Muangpraesri, Deputy Commissioner of Police Region 8, chaired the meeting, which heard that Mr Slabinskiy’s girlfriend, Yana Strizheus – who was found injured in the Blue Garden Resort & Spa, between Bangtao and Surin Beaches, last Saturday (March 15) – had told investigators that the kidnapping was related to money Mr Slabinskiy had failed to repay to loan sharks.

Police are working on two theories: That the couple were kidnapped by the loan sharks to make Mr Slabinskiy pay up; or that Mr Slabinskiy himself was in on the kidnap plan, the aim being to extort money from Ms Strizheus.

The second theory was lent credence by the fact that police picked up a signal from Mr Slabinskiy’s mobile phone days after the kidnapping. When the location was triangulated, officers rushed to the place the signal was coming from, but found nothing. The signal disappeared.

The story told by Ms Strizheus, however, tends to support the first hypothesis. Still under guard in Vachira Phuket Hospital for her own safety, Ms Strizheus told investigators that she and her boy friend were kidnapped by three men who came to their villa in Kamala.

They took the couple to a bungalow in the secluded Blue Garden Resort. There, the trio beat Mr Slabinskiy and slashed him with a broken bottle to force Ms Strizheus to go to an ATM to withdraw money they said they were owed.

Accompanied by one of the gang, she went to an ATM in Cherng Talay and withdrew more than B300,0000, all she had in her account.

The kidnappers, however, were offended. The money owed to them, they said, was B1 million. They beat Mr Slabinskiy again.

Ms Strizheus said that in despair, and believing that her boyfriend was dying, she stabbed herself in the throat with the broken bottle that had already been used on Mr Slabinskiy.

The gangsters wrapped the bleeding Mr Slabinskiy in a couple of bedsheets and bundled him into the back of a pick-up truck, leaving Ms Strizheus bleeding in the bungalow.

Ms Strizheus told investigators that from what she had seen of the violence inflicted on her boyfriend, he was being taken somewhere to be dumped, and she believed he must be dead by now.

Police checked the camera at the ATM and collected footage of her withdrawing money, closely watched by the man now known as Oleksandr Boychuk, aka Andrei, a Ukrainian citizen.

Gen Vitsanu said that the case is becoming clearer now and the police are convinced that the kidnapping was genuine. The question is whether Mr Slabinskiy was involved in the plan or not.

If he was involved, then the beating was presumably staged and he is now hiding somewhere in Phuket. If he was not, then investigators agree with Ms Strizheus, that he is most likely already dead.

Ms Strizheus told officers that Mr Slabinskiy had borrowed from Russian loan sharks. He was waiting for his family to send him money, but it did not arrive, causing him to miss two deadlines for repayment of the loan with interest.

This was why the loan sharks kidnapped the couple and forced her to withdraw money from the ATM.

She said she survived because the trio saw her stabbing herself and, believing she had inflicted a deadly wound on herself, left her to die.

Police have so far been unable to identify one of the trio, but have issued arrest warrants for the other two: Boychuk for kidnapping and extortion and Russian national Aleksandr Novichkov for kidnapping and attempted rape. The latter charge was not discussed at today’s meeting.

Police believe the two men are still in Phuket, and are trying to track them down. Anyone sighting them is urged to call Lt Col Prawit Engchuan at 081 415 8668

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-kidnappers-%E2%80%98were-russian-loan-sharks%E2%80%99-45291.php


-- Phuket News 2014-03-22

[clockman]

Quality tourists!

[LivinginKata]

Why does all this not surprise me in the least

[chooka]

withdrew 300K from the ATM?? I am only allowed to withdrawl 20K per day.

[Somtamnication]

So why the need for 3 million baht, if all owed was 700k?

[sam sen]

withdrew 300K from the ATM?? I am only allowed to withdrawl 20K per day.

right, is that even possible? i guess its more quality thai journalism.

[drand11]

Ban all russians would cut the problems in half!

[Borzandy]

withdrew 300K from the ATM?? I am only allowed to withdrawl 20K per day.

right, is that even possible? i guess its more quality thai journalism.

Yes it's possible in Thailand. Can withdraw at the ATM all the money you have in your account.

[simon43]

So why the need for 3 million baht, if all owed was 700k?

Interest rates are such a bitch!

[FireMedic]

Phuket is getting more and more ridiculous every day. They will never be able to climb out of the whole they dug themselves.

[Valentine]

withdrew 300K from the ATM?? I am only allowed to withdrawl 20K per day.

When you get an ATM card you can set the limit on how much per day you can withdraw & you can change it anytime.

[JoeThePoster]

the secluded Blue Garden Resort

There should be some law about what sort of place qualifies to be called a 'resort'.

[CWMcMurray]

The daily limit you can withdraw is set by your bank... The only limit set by the ATM is "per transaction"

So if they had a Limit with their home bank for 10,000... Then could do 15 transactions at the same ATM for 20k THB each

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mickyboy]

i think some one on here told this story about a week ago that loan sharke involved he must be mind reader

[jacko45k]

the secluded Blue Garden Resort

There should be some law about what sort of place qualifies to be called a 'resort'.

Oh I learned that many years ago, resort and mansion are often places to avoid.

This story does actually sound plausible...........

[mickyboy]

those russian are taking over the world with violence and drugs drink and bad manners

[Andre0720]

Must be some good 'con' men out there...

Good enough to make the boyfriend believe that borrowing i million bahts, from Shylocks, would yield enough profits to repay the loan with the huge interests...

But in the end not enough profits to meet the repayment promise...

And the boyfriend cannot con his gf out of her 300,000 bahts...

What ''business'' venture might that have been for the boyfriend.Alexei???

Edited March 22, 2014 by Andre0720

[julemanden]

withdrew 300K from the ATM?? I am only allowed to withdrawl 20K per day.

right, is that even possible? i guess its more quality thai journalism.

You can change this easily, raise your daily limit to 200 K a day, not a problem at all all done by the ATM machine, but it has to be from a ATM from your own bank account !

Edited March 22, 2014 by julemanden

[laurentbkk]

And here we go again with the Russian bashing ...... I guess those guys who bash Russian constantly totally forgot where they are now , Those stories , you have everywhere and done by many nationalities .... This Russian bashing is very stupid as you put them all in the same basket .... really annoying to hear all the time the same from people thinking for sure to be better than anyone else here .... boring

[IamNoone88]

And the deduction - He is either dead or alive!

[lucjoker]

it's all a set-up.

Probably there was a fight between the 2 and she won .

Then she asked for help to uncles and nephew and they helped cleaning out the atm

and dumped the body.

If you have a villa in Puckett,it is more worth than a milj bht.

Since the victim was not married with a thai nat. it was in company name ,

so all they had to do was do a transfer of director (costs 7000bht) and does not even require the

victim to be there !The victim also had 300 000 bht on his account?

All BS

[laurentbkk]

"closely watched by the man now known as Oleksandr Boychuk, aka Andrei, a Ukrainian citizen"

so why they call them Russian loan sharks ??? if one is Ukrainian ....

[ezzra]

Oh, those Russians.... Boney M....

[larsjohnsson]

"closely watched by the man now known as Oleksandr Boychuk, aka Andrei, a Ukrainian citizen"

so why they call them Russian loan sharks ??? if one is Ukrainian ....

He can still be a Russian. A very large percentage of the people in Ukraina is Russians and speak Russian

[skorchio]

Reads like the script from a movie, amazing Thailand. There is an old addage "don't fork with the Ukrainians" .....

[thhMan]

withdrew 300K from the ATM?? I am only allowed to withdrawl 20K per day.

When you get an ATM card you can set the limit on how much per day you can withdraw & you can change it anytime.

Are you suggesting an ATM will spew out 300 bills from one account?...

Edited March 22, 2014 by thhMan

[Suradit69]

Phuket kidnappers 'were Russian loan sharks'

Why does all this not surprise me in the least

Yes, who could have seen this coming ?? This is about as surprising as Kim Jong Un's landslide election victory and the results of the Crimean referendum.

[sirchai]

Accompanied by one of the gang, she went to an ATM in Cherng Talay and withdrew more than B300,0000, all she had in her account.

What would Dr. Watson say? All she had in her account. I always withdraw 340,000 baht when I receive my teachers salary, there's nothing wrong, or?

Ms Strizheus said that in despair, and believing that her boyfriend was dying, she stabbed herself in the throat with the broken bottle that had already been used on Mr Slabinskiy.

Don't we all do that from time to time?

This was why the loan sharks kidnapped the couple and forced her to withdraw money from the ATM.

She said she survived because the trio saw her stabbing herself and, believing she had inflicted a deadly wound on herself, left her to die.

And the story is fishinsky maak maak.

Edited March 22, 2014 by sirchai

[shaurene]

withdrew 300K from the ATM?? I am only allowed to withdrawl 20K per day.

You can change the amount you are allowed per day at the bank

[osiboy]

And here we go again with the Russian bashing ...... I guess those guys who bash Russian constantly totally forgot where they are now , Those stories , you have everywhere and done by many nationalities .... This Russian bashing is very stupid as you put them all in the same basket .... really annoying to hear all the time the same from people thinking for sure to be better than anyone else here .... boring

and how many russian friends do you have ? , ...........lets be honest here , if you think that russians will have no influence on your future safety in los then you should be happy to go spend time with them , i have tried, but everytime there seems to be a " minder,father figure " that willl stop this "mixing" with westerners , most of them are rude and ignorant ,....go find a thai taxi driver that likes russians or a 3*+ hotel that welcomes them , they are not nice ppl , i dont know why,... it maybe the ones that come to los are gangsters and tealeafs, i dont kno, i only kno i wont give them my time anymore , i hope you can give them yours so they stay away from me and stop treating sizzler like its a kareoke bar , IDIOTS !