A group of  Vietnamese gamblers lost a hefty bet on Sunday, when an attempt to hold a married couple for ransom was foiled by one of their victims.

Police in Kampong Cham province detained four men and one woman – all from Vietnam – for questioning in a seemingly haphazard kidnapping of a man and woman from Siem Reap, Kampong Cham deputy police chief Chim Senghong said. The ordeal began when the suspects, who came to Cambodia to gamble at the Tropaing Phlong Casino, called a man in Siem Reap, telling him they had luxury grade wood to sell him, Senghong said.

When the man met the suspects in a Siem Reap guesthouse, one suspect allegedly threatened him with a pair of scissors. They shoved paper in his mouth, drove him back to the casino and called his wife, demanding she meet them there with a $50,000 ransom, Senghong said.

Pretending she was calling her mother, the woman called the police and concocted a story with them to tell the kidnappers, Senghong said. She told them  her mother was in hospital in Kampong Cham and needed to meet her there to collect the money.

Thinking she was retrieving the money, the suspects released the woman, who led police back to the Casino.

As the woman met with one of the kidnappers, police swarmed the car and then arrested the suspects who were holding the husband.

The victims told police they never met the suspects before, and that they beat them, Senghong said. Because of the alleged violence, they could face additional charges, he added.