Chonburi: Police are urgently pursuing a Russian gang that assaulted and robbed a Russian journalist, taking Bitcoin and a luxury watch worth over 2 million baht. Progress in the case on June 26, Mr. David Blank, a Russian national who works as a journalist in Russia, escaped from a hotel in Jomtien Soi 14, Moo 12, Nongprue Subdistrict, Banglamung District. He was handcuffed in both hands and ran to a coffee shop at a gas station to seek help. He claimed that his fellow Russians had handcuffed him, put him in a black bag, and ganged up on him. They then sent a video clip to threaten his girlfriend before forcing her to transfer Bitcoin and seizing a famous brand watch worth a total of 2 million baht. After the perpetrators took the property, the victim ran for her life.
According to Thai News Agency, the latest development is that Pattaya City Police and the Transnational Crime Prevention and Suppression Center in Chonburi Province have jointly gone to the area to collect information from the victim, leading to the arrest of Mr. Anton Lokotkov, 26 years old, one of the suspects and a friend of the victim. While Mr. Anton Lokotkov denied all charges after being arrested, the police initially found that Mr. Anton Lokotkov's visa had expired. The police therefore charged him with "being an alien who entered and resided in the Kingdom of Thailand with an expired permit". As for other charges, the police are in the process of collecting evidence to prosecute "being an alien who entered and resided in the Kingdom of Thailand with an expired permit".
In the progress of the investigation, the police checked the CCTV cameras inside a hotel in Soi Jomtien 14, Moo 12, Nongprue Subdistrict, Banglamung District, Chon Buri Province. According to the victim's statement, she and her friend from the same nationality traveled from Bangkok to see the suspect, Anton Lokotkov, who had booked a room at the hotel. When they arrived, two people dressed in black broke into the room and assaulted her, handcuffed her, and forced her to transfer Bitcoin. They also stole 40,000 baht in cash and a luxury watch, totaling more than 2 million baht. The perpetrators then fled, while the victim ran for her life to ask for help from the police.
However, the police know all the perpetrators, a total of 5 people: 1. Mr. Anton Lokotkov, a Russian national, was arrested by the police at Jomtien Beach but still denies the charges. 2. Mr. Yevgeny Latishev, a Russian national, fled Thailand and headed for Malaysia. 3. Mr. Ion Bidanov, a Russian national, fled and headed for Hong Kong, presumably on a connecting flight to Turkey.
The 4th and 5th persons were foreign men wearing a black long-sleeved coat or jacket, black pants, black sneakers, and masks to hide their faces. Both appeared in the CCTV footage at the scene of the incident. Pattaya City Police are currently collecting evidence, preparing a report to present to investigators to proceed with legal action and track down additional perpetrators.