A Nongprue police officer and two civilians were arrested for allegedly kidnapping, raping and extorting a Nakhon Phanom woman they tried to frame for drugs.
Pol. Lance Cpl. Ratchanon Dannattee, a Nongprue crime-suppression squad leader, along with Poldanai Dhammakul, 21, and Prasert Kongkhao, 31, surrendered to Pattaya police, who were brought in to investigate their sister station, Feb. 5.
They were charged with conspiracy to commit false imprisonment, rape and extortion. All denied the charges. However, Ratchanon later claimed he had consensual sexual relations with the 22-year-old victim, police said.
All three were denied bail. An order also was sent to the head of Chonburi police seeking Ratchanon’s dismissal from the Royal Thai Police.
The victim claims she was in her Soi Bongkot apartment when Ratchanon and his two accomplices broke in and planted drugs. She said the Nongprue officer then told her she would be arrested if she did not pay him an unspecified amount of cash.
She claimed she was then taken to a nearby motel and raped by the three men.
The victim denied she has ever been involved with drugs.
All three suspects were seen on closed-circuit television camera footage obtained by police after the woman’s report. The three denied her accusations, but admitted they were the men in the video.
Nongprue police chief Pol. Col. Jirawuth Tantasri said he asked Pattaya police to investigate after the victim filed a complaint at the Nongprue station. Jirawuth vowed the officer will be prosecuted without special consideration.
