Chon Buri: A 21-year-old Thai woman has accused her Iranian ex-boyfriend of kidnapping her in full view of others and later raping her and shaving her head in a condominium near Jomtien Beach in Pattaya.
Mohsen Sarafrazi, 39, turned himself into police yesterday morning after a court issued a warrant for his arrest, and denied the accusations. He claimed the woman was simply jealous.
The young woman, her head shaved, was accompanied by a foreign friend when she filed the complaint with Pattaya police on Thursday night. She was identified only as Neung, from Prachin Buri.
She told police her ex-boyfriend had a condominium rental business in Pattaya.
He approached her on Walking Street in South Pattaya around 3.30am on Wednesday, grabbed and forcibly took her to his motorcycle. She called for help and an American tourist tried to intervene, but two of the Iranian's companions told him it was a family affair and threatened to assault him if he became involved.
Ms Neung said Mr Sarafrazi took her to a condominium room near Jomtien Beach, where she was handcuffed and detained. He put a mask on her and kept threatening her, she said. He allegedly demanded that she return 30,000 baht to him by Oct 15, or he would send men to assault her. He also asked her to sign a contract as evidence, before raping her twice.
She alleged Mr Sarafrazi then shaved her head and would not let her leave the room. She pretended to agree to his demands, but later told him she needed to fetch her clothes from her room before returning to stay with him. Convinced, he let her leave, she said.
She later went to the police as she feared for her own safety, Ms Neung said.
Mr Sarafrazi told police he ran a motorcycle rental service and managed overseas affairs for a company in Pattaya, saying he had a work permit.
He rejected the woman's allegations of rape and kidnapping, saying they had been romantically involved for one year before separating. He had met her on Walking Street by chance and then took her to his condominium room.
He claimed he neither handcuffed nor assaulted her. He admitted he had sex with her, but said it was with her consent.
Mr Sarafrazi also denied shaving her head, saying she did it herself. After they had sex, the woman had checked his mobile phone and saw photos of an Iranian woman, his new girlfriend. He claimed Ms Neung acted out of jealousy after seeing the photos.
Pattaya police chief Pol Col Apichai Krobphet said investigators would view surveillance footage from Walking Street and then forward the case to public prosecutors.
Earlier, on the same day, Ms Neung was asked to give statements to Pol Col Apichai and Pattaya tourist inspector Pol Lt Col Piyapong Ensarn about the accusations.
Ms Neung later gave another statement saying the man had been her boyfriend for a year, but she left him four months ago because he often assaulted her.
