An Indian man who claimed he was assaulted on Pattaya Beach by “mafia” gangsters in fact, got into a dispute over 3,000 baht and was working in the kingdom illegally, Pattaya police said.
Police chief Pol. Col. Apichai Kroppech debunked Baldeep Singh Gulati’s May 22 story the day after it went viral across the internet. There was no “mafia”, Apichai said, and the Indian himself was partially to blame for the brawl.
He said 41-year-old Gulati and friends were sitting on the beach near Soi 8 when his friend, Gurdwinder Singh, 32, telephoned with a request for him to transfer 3,000 baht to India. But Gulati only had 2,500 baht on him, so Gurdwinder said he’d send a Thai associate to bring him the extra 500 baht.
But when the Thai showed up, he tried to charge Gulati a service charge, which prompted an argument. The Thai man left and returned with two other men and the Thais and Indians traded punches.
A Thai beach vendor intervened and told them to fight elsewhere.
Police tracked down all the Thais and Indians involved and fined them all for causing a public disturbance. But, while investigating, police discovered both Gulati and Gurdwinder were working illegally in Thailand. They will now be prosecuted for working without a permit.
 |
 |
