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Wanted Phuket kidnapper identified as rogue Russian Navy officer


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Posted

Wanted Phuket kidnapper identified as rogue Russian Navy officer
Anton Makhrov

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Andrei Zabelin, photographed by a Thai Immigration camera, left, and in an earlier photograph when he was still a serving Russian Navy officer.

PHUKET: -- Russian media have identified one of the men wanted for the kidnapping of Russians Aleksei Slabinskiy and Yana Strizheus on March 7 as a former officer of the Russian Far East Fleet.

The man, identified by Thai police as a Ukrainian, Oleksandr Boychuk, also known as “Andrei”, has been identified as Russian Andrei Zabelin after a number of people in the Russian Far East recognised him from photographs posted online.

The Phuket News’ sister newspaper Novosti Phuketa quoted Russian newspapers as reporting that Zabelin is on a Russian police wanted list.

In 2005 he was found guilty of “intentionally causing serious harm to another person’s health” after a quarrel with a stranger who was smoking in the stairwell of his building. Zabelin ended the dispute by pointing an 18mm “non-lethal” handgun at the man’s face and firing a rubber bullet at him.

Despite Zabelin’s good military service record and his plea that he was acting in self-defence, a military court found him guilty. He fled before he could be locked up.

Later it was discovered that while serving in the Russian Navy Zabelin had been instrumental in the wholesale theft of Navy provisions.

Investigators discovered thefts that could be attributed to him amounting to about 49 million roubles (at that time equivalent to about B49 million).

Izvestia newspaper reported that Andrei fled to Phuket to avoid prosecution and was living on the island, with his family, using a Ukrainian passport.

Police last week issued an arrest warrant for Andrei for kidnapping and extortion, and Russian national Aleksandr Novichkov for kidnapping and attempted rape in relation to the kidnapping of Mr Slabinskiy and his girlfriend Yana Strizheus.

Mr Slabinskiy still remains missing, while Ms Strizheus was found injured in the Blue Garden Resort & Spa last Saturday (March 15).

News initially broke on March 14 that the couple, who were living in Kamala at the time, were feared kidnapped after a series of frantic phone calls to relatives back home asking for money.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/wanted-phuket-kidnapper-identified-as-rogue-russian-navy-officer-45344.php

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-- Phuket News 2014-03-25

Posted (edited)

Wow. Instrumental in a Russian Navy provisions theft ring netting over 1 million US, (presumably in arms deals) shoots a guy in the face for smoking in the stairwell, and kidnapping for ransom. Sounds like he may be a friend of Bout. So who's getting the book and movie rights on this guy?

Edited by NomadJoe
  • Like 2
Posted

same attitude as with the malaysian flight : no body told us he was a criminal on the run ...? but life can be good on one of those fake passports, right ?

Posted (edited)

How does someone like this get to travel overseas? They always seem to show up in Thailand.. I wonder why?

Fake ID, comrades/connections/semi-anarchy (or the fine weather/beaches - take your pick).

Edited by MaxYakov
  • Like 1
Posted

A violent man on the run is all the more dangerous. I hope he is caught pronto before some unfortunate gets in his way.

Posted

The Thai authorities not to get a strong grip and hold on these Russians coming here. This is only the beginning and will make all the local corruption look like child's play.

For me, 10 years here and these guys are my biggest worry for the island and my children's future here.

I saw the same thing happen to Cyprus when the Russians finally got passports; what a laugh I had when the Cypriot banks went tits up.

  • Like 1
Posted

Another Russian criminal refugee on Phuket! Reminds me of the old saying "Birds of a feather flock together" glad i don't live on Phuket.

Posted

He does look mean. But he's got sensitive eyes. And the bullet was only rubber after all. Stupid question: what is wholesale theft? I can imagine it's cheaper than retail theft which can be a smig pricey.

Posted

*insert comment about Thailand only wanting 'quality' tourists here*

Don't mind if I do. Thailand' desire for rich quality tourists has produced the predictable results: a haven for drug dealers, arms smugglers, gangsters and international fugitives.

Meanwhile, the average male Farang with a Thai wife and children must jump through hoop after hoop just to get a year visa.

How do you relate the two? I dont see the connection. Thailand does desire quality tourists as I'm sure any other tourist destination does. But how does that equal a haven for Drug dealers, smugglers etc. Nothing has changed in Thailand in over 20 years about visa requirements expect that some are have become more restrictive. So actually Thailand is making it harder to stay here. So please explain to me the correlation.

Posted

If Thailand wants quality tourists, and it should, stop the Russians coming. The average Russian does not have the money for holidays in Thailand. A few business men will have but most of the ones who go to Thailand have links with the criminal world. I worked in Russia and most of the locals I worked with admitted the only ones with any money to spend on holidays had criminal links.

Then take a look at those who keep Pattaya afloat. Less than quality tourists for sure.

Make a clean up and then the families will come and come back again and again

Posted

Travel around some of the former Russian states and ask the people there. They all say the same thing, Russians are very nasty people

Posted

Travel around some of the former Russian states and ask the people there. They all say the same thing, Russians are very nasty people

Dear God. The young women are sooooo beautiful, though. wub.png I never look at the men. giggle.gif

Posted

Hey get a Clue he relocated to Pattaya his Russian buddies there are hiding him. Check walking street or scratchy hill. Besides the cops there take bribes.

And they don't in Phuket cheesy.gif

Posted

Blame the director of TAT, she paved the way for him and his cronies to come to Thailand, cheap flights (package deals ) preferential treatment for visa's etc etc.

Now it seems the Thai police force will require a special unit to deal with all the problems they bring .

But its not just here its pretty much global, everywhere the expats have carved out a good lifestyle they will arrive wanting a piece of the action at others expense !

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