11-4-2024 (BANGKOK) Five Russian men have been sentenced to two years in prison each for the kidnapping and extortion of a Russian couple earlier this year. The Phuket Provincial Court confirmed the verdict yesterday, although the identities of the perpetrators were not disclosed in the court’s announcement. Initially facing a four-year jail term, their sentences were halved after pleading guilty.
The incident unfolded when Albert Viviankou, a 23-year-old Belarusian national, and his wife were forcibly abducted on January 31. They were bundled into a black Hyundai minivan by a group of men and transported to a residence near the Naka Market.
Under duress, the couple was coerced into transferring approximately US$801,200, equivalent to nearly 30 million baht, in an undisclosed cryptocurrency. Following the transaction, the couple was released unharmed not far from the abduction site. Law enforcement swiftly intervened, raiding the location, and apprehending the perpetrators while seizing crucial evidence, as reported by The Phuket News.
Although the court withheld the identities of the convicts, police records at the time of their arrest identified them as Zalim Nalchikov (37), Oleg Bogdanov (30), Azamat Nagoev (36), Islam Abdokov (29), and Aslan Abazov (36).
In a related development, a 24-year-old man, identified only as Thanachot, was arrested in Bangkok’s Klong Toey district on charges of kidnapping, molestation, and rape involving underage victims. The arrest followed a mother’s distressing discovery of her daughter’s ordeal, prompting a police report and subsequent arrest warrant.
On February 21, led by Police Colonel Manoon Kaewkam and Police Lieutenant Colonel Rueangwit Duangjinda, law enforcement successfully apprehended Thanachot pursuant to a warrant issued by the South Bangkok Criminal Court.
