A BRIT tourist reportedly had £10,000 of cryptocurrency stolen while being held hostage at an England World Cup watch-party in Thailand.
Dion Adam Timberlake, 24, was allegedly lured to a sixth- floor flat in the popular party town of Pattaya under the guise of watching the Three Lions semi-final clash against Argentina.
Dion Adam Timberlake (right) was allegedly lured to a flat and robbed by Nolan Emmanuel (left) and an accomplice Credit: Viral Press
The 24-year-old was left badly shaken after being held hostage at knifepoint Credit: Viral Press
A British acquaintance nicknamed Maz led him to the apartment at around 10:30pm on July 15, where another man from the UK was waiting.
One of the duo allegedly asked to borrow Dion’s phone under the pretence of exchanging Telegram details to talk crypto trading.
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But Maz then allegedly pulled a knife and threatened the terrified Brit, before taking his passport and car keys.
He is accused of then taping his hands and forcing him to transfer Ethereum coins worth £9,782 from his crypto wallet.
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After taking the money, they allegedly returned his belongings and allowed him to leave unharmed.
Dion rushed to the police station shortly after midnight on July 16 to report the alleged robbery.
Police reviewed CCTV footage and identified one of the suspects as British national Nisar Armaan, 22.
Armaan was arrested at the flat where the suspected robbery took place.
His alleged accomplice, Maz, was tracked down to a hotel on a tourist street near the beach in Pattaya.
He was named as UK national Nolan Emmanuel, also 22.
The men were accused of jointly committing armed robbery and jointly unlawfully detaining or confining another person or otherwise depriving that person of physical liberty.
They have also been accused of jointly using another person’s electronic payment instrument for the purpose of paying for goods or services.
Nolan faces additional charges for overstaying his visa in Thailand by 191 days.
Both suspects denied the allegations but acknowledged that they were the individuals named in the arrest warrants, according to the cops.
They were then handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Sudej Imjai said: “Before the incident, the alleged victim showed the suspects his cryptocurrency portfolio and discussed crypto trading with them, allowing them to know he held digital assets of considerable value.
“The incident took place in a room on the sixth floor of Tudor Court Condo, where Nisar Armaan was staying.
“Armaan’s girlfriend was present during the arrest, but at the time of the incident only the three men were in the room.
“The man the victim knew by the nickname Maz was identified as Nolan Emmanuel, who was also his friend.
“The alleged victim stated that Emmanuel threatened him with a knife, tied his wrists with duct tape and forced him to transfer cryptocurrency, while Armaan remained inside the room and took part in the offence.
“The alleged victim was still shaken and was unable to provide detailed accounts of each suspect’s role.
“However, he confirmed that Maz was the person who threatened him with the knife, restrained him with duct tape and forced him to make the transfer.
“The inquiry officer seized both suspects’ mobile phones as evidence and sent them to the relevant authorities to examine and trace the transactions.
“We believe this was an isolated incident rather than a criminal network targeting tourists for their cryptocurrency.”
It comes after Brit businessman Ashley James O’Brien, 34, was allegedly robbed of his Rolex and Bitcoin worth £250,000 at gunpoint.
Three Brits are said to have broken into his rented villa in Koh Samui island before ambushing him.
Thai police issued arrest warrants on April 30 for Marco George Cameron Diamantis, 33, Myles Rees Lapierre, 35, and Samantha Dorothy Tilley, 38, who remain on the run.
Tourists are regularly attacked or caught up in crime, leading Pattaya to be dubbed Sin City.
Embarrassed officials in the central government have launched tourism initiatives to attract families and rebrand Pattaya as a safe destination.
Authorities have also introduced safety measures, such as improved lighting and CCTV.
Despite some success in cleaning up the town’s image, alcohol and sex remain its biggest draws, often leading to a high rate of crime and accidents.
