Phnom Penh (FN), Jan. 22 – A spokesperson for the General Commissariat of National Police reported that on 15 January 2025, the Ministry of Interior successfully intervened to rescue Yu Emil, an American citizen of Chinese-Taiwanese descent, who had been kidnapped in Bangkok, Thailand, and smuggled into Cambodia.

The operation was launched immediately after the victim's family contacted the Ministry of Interior via its Facebook page on 14 January 2025, triggering a search that led to the rescue of the victim from a criminal network connected to an organised group in Thailand.

The victim had been deceived by a Taiwanese-Chinese criminal syndicate in Thailand, who lured him to travel from Shanghai, China, to Bangkok under the pretense of attending a bakery's opening ceremony. Upon arrival, the group drugged him, smuggled him into Cambodia, held him captive, tortured him, and extorted money from him.

Following the successful rescue, the operations team arrested a Taiwanese-Chinese suspect, along with other accomplices, who were responsible for restraining the victim and torturing him. These actions enabled the criminal network in Thailand to contact the victim's family and demand ransom money for his release.

The victim is currently under the care and supervision of the Cambodian National Police, who are monitoring his health and preparing to transfer him to the US Embassy for further assistance and repatriation. Investigations into the Taiwanese-Chinese criminal syndicate and its mastermind, believed to be operating from Thailand, are ongoing, with authorities exploring potential cooperation with Thai counterparts to dismantle the entire network.
=FRESH NEWS