Khusein Askhabov, a well-known fighter in MMA circles, has been arrested with his twin brother, Khasan, in relation to a violent robbery at a house in Phuket.
The Phuket News reports that three Kazakh men forced their way into the home of an Italian man in the northern sub-district of Chergntalay at around 11pm on Sunday, September 3. The man was bound and gagged, violently beaten for hours, and robbed of personal possessions valued over 12 million baht.
It’s understood that during the man’s ordeal, his attackers were receiving phone calls from someone who was seemingly orchestrating the attack and giving them instructions. During one call, the attackers were told to ask their victim for the whereabouts of a computer harddrive containing a “ledger of cryptocurrency”.
After several hours, the 3 Kazakh men fled the villa, stealing valuables including luxury watches, iPhones, a Macbook, a debit card and thousands of Euros in cash. They are believed to have fled the country on an Emirates flight to Dubai on Monday morning, September 4, leaving their victim bound and gagged at the property.
The unnamed Italian man managed to get out of the house, with CCTV footage showing him outside the property, where he was eventually found and freed by staff. He says he has never seen his attackers before.
On Monday, September 4, the Phuket Provincial Court issued arrest warrants for 28 year old twins Khusein and Khasan Askhabov. Chalermchai Hersawat, Cherng Talay Police Chief, has confirmed that both men were arrested the next day but did not say where the arrests took place.
According to the Phuket News, Khusein, who had previously trained at a Muay Thai camp in Chalong, had moved to a camp in Chergntalay for training.
The Italian man says he first met the twin brothers at a beach restaurant in the area about a year ago and they had become acquaintances.
SOURCE: The Phuket News
