Chon Buri thief snatches 300,000 baht coffee grinder from cafe

It seems like someone took the phrase “grind and steal” a little too literally leaving a Chon Buri cafe owner reeling after a thief snatched a coffee grinder worth a staggering 300,000 baht. But that’s not all, the light-fingered thief also dared to take the cafe’s CCTV camera.

The sneaky thief broke into the Coffee&Slow bar on Sri Racha-Nong Kho Road in Sri Racha district in the early hours of Friday morning. The cafe’s owner, 30 year old Patcharadol Sonsoke said the thief smashed the cafe’s glass door to unlock the door to get inside.

Patcharadol said the thief ran off with his a La Marzoccolinea mini coffee grinder worth over 300,000 baht, as well as the cafe’s CCTV camera.

Patcharadol reported the incident to Sri Racha Police, who are now investigating the case.

Patcharadol noted that the thief may have been knowledgeable about coffee, given their selection of the high-value grinder. The authorities are currently reviewing CCTV footage from the surrounding area to identify the culprit, and said they would arrest the suspect soon.

Chon Buri has experienced a relatively high rate of theft in recent years. According to crime data about Chon Buri’s main city district, the city has a crime level of 66.67, considered high. The level of worries about homes being broken into and belongings stolen is 75, also considered high. The level of worries about being mugged or robbed is 70.83, also considered high.

To combat theft, police in the province have increased their presence and implemented various crime prevention measures, including CCTV cameras. However, theft remains a persistent issue in Chon Buri.

In June last year, there was another incident in Chon Buri’s Sri Racha district in which another resident also experienced a massive loss due to thieves stealing from him. Two thieves stole 200 cactuses from a cactus farm that were reportedly worth 80,000 baht. CCTV footage showed that two men in masks cut through the net of a greenhouse, before dashing off in their pickup truck with the 200 cactuses.