Photo: Sina Weibo

The Chinese Embassy in Thailand gave an update on Sunday of the kidnap and murder case of a 20-year-old Chinese female student studying in Thailand, and promised to assist in the victim’s family members to properly handle relevant matters in Thailand. 

According to the embassy, it immediately launched the emergency response mechanism after the incident happened, urged the Thai side to make an all-out effort to investigate into the case, and informed the family members of the progress of the case in a timely manner. The embassy also provided assistance for the family members to come to Thailand to deal with the aftermath. 

The Chinese public security organs also promptly carried out investigations, coordinated and cooperated with the Thai side, and detained the three suspects who fled to China in accordance with the laws, the embassy said. 

The embassy will continue to assist the family in properly handling relevant matters in Thailand, closely follow the progress of the case, urge the Thai police to strengthen investigation and evidence collection, and work closely with the Chinese police to solve the case as soon as possible and punish the criminals in accordance with the laws. 

Police in Wenzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province, announced last Wednesday that they detained three Chinese male suspects for kidnapping and killing a 20-year-old Chinese female student in Thailand. She was found tortured and murdered with her corpse dumped in a ditch. 

According to a Wenzhou police’s statement released on Wednesday, the student surnamed Jin from Wenzhou was kidnapped in Thailand last week with the kidnappers demanding a ransom of 500,000 yuan ($72,701) from her father. Jin’s father received photo information with his daughters hands and feet tied up. The man did not pay the ransom as asked, and lost touch with his daughter, who was studying in Thailand since March this year. 

According to local media, Jin’s body was found in a plastic bag in a ditch on Sunday and the footage of surveillance camera shows Jin was kidnapped in Bang Yai district of Nonthaburi (adjacent to Bangkok) last Thursday. Local police think Jin was murdered in a high-end residence which the three suspects rented when they arrived in Thailand.

 Latest forensic examinations show that Jin died of suffocation instead of wounds including five caused by knife on her left chest and a wide cut on his right shoulder. There was a piece of cloth tied tightly around her neck with tape. 

The local police have disclosed to local media that a fourth suspect, a female Thai who worked at a local bar, turned herself in on Monday. She could face charges of assisting the three suspects in the crime. However, she denied to have joined the torture and murder of the victim. 

According to local media reports, the three suspects fled Thailand by plane to Chengdu in Southwest China’s Sichuan Province last Thursday. They were arrested by Chinese police on Tuesday. 

On Monday, the three suspects, one surnamed Chen and two surnamed Zhou, all in their 20s and from Xingtai city in North China’s Hebei Province, were captured in Xiangyang city in Central China’s Hubei Province. They have been placed under criminal detention by the Wenzhou police who are conducting further investigation. 

Apart from the three male suspects who visited Thailand for the first time as tourists before they committed the crime, a 19-year-old female Thai was suspected of assisting the three suspects in the case, according to a report by The Paper. 

According to Qianjiang Evening News, Jin’s family members including her father and two uncles from Qianku town in Cangnan county in Wenzhou headed to Thailand on Monday. 

The three suspects from Xingtai, including Chen aged 22 and two surnamed Zhou aged 24 and 22, were captured with the help of Hebei police. The case is under further investigation. 

Global Times