The Phuket Provincial Court confirmed the guilty verdict and the sentencing yesterday (Apr 10).
The men, not named in the court announcement, were each originally sentenced to four years’ in jail, but their sentences were halved as they had plead guilty to the charges, the court noted.
The five were arrested by police after Belarusian national Albert Viviankou, 23, and his wife were abducted in Phuket Town on the evening of Jan 31. A group of men forced them into a black Hyundai minivan and took them to a house near the Naka Market.
The gang then forced the couple to transfer US$801,200 (nearly B30 million) in an unspecified cryptocurrency. The Belarusian man and his wife were then released unharmed not far from the abduction scene.
With the couple safe, police moved in and arrested the men and seized evidence from the scene.
Although the court statement did not name the men, reports by police at the time of their arrest named the gang of five as: Zalim Nalchikov, 37; Oleg Bogdanov, 30; Azamat Nagoev, 36; Islam Abdokov, 29; and Aslan Abazov, 36.
In its statement, Phuket Provincial Court noted that although the Russian men were tourists, they had committed a serious offence.
The jail terms are to be served with hesitation, the court noted.