Thailand has extradited a Mozambican fugitive wanted in more than 50 kidnapping-for-ransom cases and the murders of two people, after police found him hanging out in the lobby of the Bangkok Marriott last Wednesday.
Momade Assif Abdul Satar entered Thailand with a fake passport three years ago, shortly after he was freed on parole from a Mozambique jail for the 2000 gangland-style murder of an investigative journalist in the capital, Maputo.
“He was extradited at midnight (Tuesday) on a flight to Kenya,” for onward travel to Mozambique, Tourist Police Deputy Commissioner Maj. Gen. Surachate Hakparn said today.
Last week’s arrest was acting on an Interpol red notice alleging that Satar had masterminded a string of kidnappings in Mozambique and other countries in Africa from Thailand.
His gang allegedly kidnapped over 50 wealthy businessmen and charged up to US$3 million (THB100 million) for their releases. Two of the victims were murdered, police said in a press conference on Sunday.
A police investigation revealed that Satar lived in Thailand with a different identity. His fake passport identified him as Sahime Mohammad Aslam.
Police detained Satar at the hotel lobby as his appearance matched the man on the Interpol’s notice. His fingerprints confirmed that he was the wanted fugitive.
Additional reporting by AFP
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