A pregnant woman in Thailand staged her own kidnap with loan sharks she owed money to, so she could use her husband’s savings to pay off her debt.
The bizarre turn of events began when a woman, who was living in Samut Prakan province in central Thailand, took 80,000 Thai baht (US$2,200) from her husband’s bank account under the guise of a ransom demand on May 30, reported Thailand World Daily.
She told her husband she was leaving their home to photocopy documents.
Shortly after that, her husband received a text message from her phone, which read: “If you want your wife and children to be safe, don’t call the police”.
A video was later sent to him showing his wife, who was five months pregnant, with a black bag over her head, her hands bound, apparently abandoned in a remote forest.
![The woman was found tied up, shivering and wet in a remote forest with a bag over her head. Photo: mustsharenews](https://investorminute.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/89817d48-8a6a-4907-950c-b405cdc44e4f_da663f65.jpg)
After the husband, friends and family searched for her but could not find her, they reported the incident to the police.
Early on the morning of May 31, with the help of officers and a rescue team, the woman was found in the forest behind a dilapidated building, soaking wet in the rain and trembling from the cold.
She seemed to be “in a panic”, with her bag turned inside out and its contents, including documents and personal items, scattered on the ground, according to a friend involved in the rescue.
She was immediately taken to hospital where she maintained her story.
She claimed that, after photocopying the documents, she was followed by two masked men who threatened her with a knife, abducted her in a pickup truck, and covered her head with a black bag.
The kidnappers allegedly forced her to transfer 80,000 Thai baht (US$2,200) from her husband’s account and also took her ATM and phone cards.
After further investigation, police discovered loopholes in her statement and found bank transfers and receipts related to loan sharks on her phone.
The woman confessed to a gambling addiction but insisted that had nothing to do with her kidnapping.
After three hours of questioning, the woman finally admitted to staging her abduction with the help of the loan sharks.
![The woman’s husband urged the Thai police not to take action against his wife. Photo: Shutterstock](https://investorminute.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/5e65d5af-6c17-423e-9fc9-f6f18bb0a7c8_1126e908.jpg)
She explained that she had borrowed about 70,000 Thai baht from them and intended to use her husband’s savings to clear the debt without his knowledge.
Considering the unborn child, the husband asked the police not to take any action against his wife.
The police recorded the incident and warned the woman to stay away from gambling.