19-4-2024 (BANGKOK) Metropolitan Police Bureau (MPB) officers apprehended Sandra Christina Marie Diersten, aged 45, at a hotel situated in Bangkok’s Silom area within the Bang Rak district around 10 pm on Thursday. Diersten was detained based on an arrest warrant issued by the Southern Bangkok Criminal Court on April 5, concerning charges of illegal assembly.
Pol Maj Gen Theeradet Thumsuthee, an investigative commander of the MPB, disclosed on Friday that the arrest stemmed from a complaint lodged by a prominent businesswoman at Thong Lor police station.
According to the complaint, a group of foreign nationals orchestrated a plan to abduct her seven-year-old daughter, demanding a hefty ransom of 200 million baht. The scheme was brought to light after one of the purported gang members had a change of heart and alerted the businesswoman. Subsequently, police launched an investigation, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Diersten, believed to be the ringleader of the gang.
Under Pol Maj Gen Theeradet’s direction, police detectives tracked down Diersten at a Silom hotel on Thursday. She was found in the company of a Lebanese man, which resulted in her arrest.
During interrogation, Diersten vehemently denied all accusations. She claimed to be a businesswoman who had been deceived into investing with an Australian man, the husband of the wealthy Thai businesswoman involved. Allegedly, Diersten had invested approximately 185 million baht with the Australian, who purportedly defrauded her. To evade repayment, the Australian allegedly filed a false police complaint, accusing Diersten of attempting to abduct his daughter.
Diersten further asserted that she refrained from reporting her entry into Thailand out of safety concerns. Additionally, she stated that she had met the Lebanese man in Dubai before their stay together at the hotel.
Following her arrest, Diersten was transferred to Thong Lor police station.
Pol Maj Gen Theeradet remarked that police remained unconvinced by Diersten’s claims, noting that substantial evidence had been obtained against her.
