Thai police have detained a Russian citizen on Samui Island for allegedly stealing 1.8 million baht worth of Bitcoins from another Russian.
According to Samui police, the suspect is suspected of being part of a Russian gang that targets Russian citizens involved in Bitcoin investments.
The victim, known as Yevgini, reported to Samui police on Friday that he had been robbed by six Russians while having coffee with his wife at a shop in Taling Ngam sub-district.
Yevgini stated that four Russians arrived at the coffee shop in a black van and were later joined by two others on a motorcycle. He alleged that they threatened to harm him unless he transferred his Bitcoins, valued at about 112 million baht, to them.
The victim stated that he only had 1.8 million baht in Bitcoin and, fearing for his safety, he agreed to transfer that amount to them.
According to police, the gang learned about the victim’s Bitcoin holdings by monitoring the activities of Russian Bitcoin investors and their visits to Thailand.
Another suspect has already been extradited from Kazakhstan and is in custody of Samui police due to an arrest warrant issued by the Samui provincial court in October 2022.
