1-8-2024 (BANGKOK) a Japanese tourist has been apprehended by local authorities following allegations of sexual molestation and attempted kidnapping. The incident, which occurred in the early hours of Sunday morning in the popular Royal City Avenue (RCA) entertainment district, has raised concerns about the safety of vulnerable individuals in the city’s nightlife areas.
Pol Colonel Urumporn Khundejsamrit, chief of Makkasan Police Station, announced on Thursday that the suspect, a 27-year-old Japanese national identified only as Nishimura, was taken into custody at his hotel in the Sukhumvit area on Wednesday night. The arrest came after a Thai woman, using the alias ‘Dear’, filed a police complaint detailing a harrowing encounter with the foreign national.
According to the victim’s statement, the ordeal began around 4 am on Sunday when she left an RCA pub in an inebriated state. While waiting for her boyfriend on a bench in the car park, she was approached by a man who introduced himself as Japanese and propositioned her to accompany him to his hotel room. Upon her refusal, the situation quickly escalated.
The victim reported that the man sat beside her and began to inappropriately touch her, taking advantage of her intoxicated and vulnerable state. In a distressing turn of events, the assailant allegedly snatched her handbag and mobile phone before attempting to forcibly remove her from the area.
CCTV footage obtained by investigators corroborates parts of the victim’s account, showing the suspect placing the woman into a taxi at 4:42 am. However, in a twist of fate, the victim managed to regain possession of her mobile phone while in the vehicle. Upon noticing her boyfriend’s photo on the device, the suspect reportedly instructed the taxi driver to return to the original location.
The footage then shows the man carrying the woman back to the bench where the encounter began, before fleeing the scene. The victim subsequently contacted her boyfriend, who assisted her in filing a police report.
During questioning, Nishimura reportedly admitted to molesting the Thai woman and attempting to take her to his hotel. He now faces charges of molestation and unlawful detention. The suspect has been released on a bail of 50,000 baht, posted by his relatives, but his passport has been confiscated by the authorities.
