PHUKET: A Russian man has told police he was attacked and robbed of US$700 (24,237 baht) in cash by another man speaking Russian in his hotel room on Sunday night.
The victim, whose details were not released, told police yesterday that he was sleeping in a room at hotel in tambon Karon of Muang district and was awoken at about 8pm by someone knocking on the door.
He said when he answered the door, a Russian-speaking foreigner forced his way into the room and punched him in the face several times, according to Karon station chief Pol Col Khundet Na Nongkhai.
The victim said he fell to the floor and could not fight back because he had recently had stomach surgery.
The intruder taped the victim’s mouth, bound him with a wire cord, and then put him on the phone to another Russian man.
The victim said he recognised the voice as that of a man with whom he had a problem involving a cryptocurrency business back in Russia.
The victim told police he was threatened with death if he did not return cryptocurrency worth a large amount of money to the Russian on the phone.
The victim said he did not give up his phone’s password, so the attacker failed to access his crypto account.
The intruder then stole all his cash, about $700 in total.
The victim told police his assailant tied him to the bathroom door and hit him on the back of the head with something hard, leaving him unconscious.
When he awoke hours later, he was alone in the room.
Police investigators checked the hotel security recordings and noted that the suspect was a large man wearing a hoodie and a mask.
