Police apprehended 13 individuals in connection with the ransom, kidnapping, and murdering of two men in a forested area on the outskirts of Vientiane.
Police were called to the scene in March when residents foraging for bamboo shoots found two men’s bodies buried underground.
According to police, residents said they noticed legs sticking out of the ground and promptly called local authorities to investigate.
Police say the victims, a Lao citizen and a Chinese national, appear to have been attacked, with slash wounds found on their bodies.
On 12 April, police arrested the first suspect in the kidnapping and murder of the two men, then later received information on 13 other suspects.
The two victims were apparently kidnapped and murdered in Mai Village, Sikhottabong District in Vientiane Capital after a ransom was demanded for their release.
Head of the Investigation Department, Colonel Kaenchan Phommachak, said that the wife of the Lao victim had reported her husband missing, and assumed it was a kidnapping. The Lao man was later found dead with his Chinese friend.
The first suspect told police officials that the kidnapping was premeditated by 9 Lao nationals (8 men and one woman) and 4 Chinese nationals. The group is said to have used two vehicles to commit these crimes.
