An Australian man with a lengthy criminal record, who was wanted in Queensland in connection with a twisted kidnapping incident, has recently been arrested at a hotel on Sukhumvit.
Guido James Eglitis, 70, was nabbed in the lobby of Hotel Marvel in Sukhumvit soi 22 after the Thai police were tipped off by a source. The authorities are working with agencies in Australia to have Eglitis extradited, according Sydney Morning Herald.
Witnesses have seen him visit different bars in Bangkok in the past weeks. They photographed Eglitis drinking at N’Joy, an expat bar, and other bars in Bangkok last month.
In Brisbane, Eglitis allegedly pretended to be a cop, kidnapped a businessman, and tied him up in a house to demand a ransom. The businessman, whose identity was not mentioned, reportedly managed to escape.
Eglitis was supposed to go to trial in 2007 on charges of kidnapping, deprivation of liberty, robbery, impersonating a police officer and possessing restricted items.
It is believed he escaped from Australia while on bail. In 2014, Eglitis came to the attention to Australian authorities again when he posed as a cop for a second time, but this time he pretended to be a private investigator and work with Cambodian police on the mysterious death of a Canadian journalist.
What a guy.
He was finally arrested in Cambodia in October of last year, on charges that included robbery.
Queensland Police said in November last year that they were “making inquiries” with Cambodia to have the man extradited. However, the Cambodian authorities allegedly released Eglitis and made no announcement.
Eglitis then continued his journey on to Bangkok. It is alleged that he has threatened other Australian expats in the city.
Eglitis was also sentenced to four years’ jail in the United States on fraud charges in 1988. He was featured in a 1998 Australian book titled “Scams and Swindlers.”
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