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Thai court sentences five Russians to two years in jail in abduction case — newspaper

The prosecutors requested four years in jail for the Russians, but then the sentence was halved after those pleaded guilty

BANGKOK, April 10. /TASS/. A court on Thailand’s Phuket province has sentenced five Russian nationals to two years in jail each for abducting a Russian couple and forcing them to transfer $850,000 worth in cryptocurrency to a stranger’s account, the Bangkok Post newspaper reported.

The prosecutors requested four years in jail for the Russians, but then the sentence was halved after those pleaded guilty. The couple, who were previously referred to in the police report as Belarusian nationals, alleged that a group of men abducted them in Muang district on January 31. The abductors forced them into a black Hyundai van and drove them to an unknown location. They were later released and immediately contacted the police.

Thai police officers detained two perpetrators at Phuket International Airport when they were about to leave the country. Two others were apprehended at the place of their residence on the island. All of them were taken to a police station for questioning. The fifth suspect was interrogated separately as he was believed to be the mastermind. All of the five men initially denied any involvement in the abduction case.

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