Generous Thai woman’s trust shattered as couple she sheltered steals assets worth over 100,000 baht

A Thai woman shared the heartbreaking story of a couple she employed, fed and put a roof over their heads for free, only to discover that they had stolen assets from her totalling more than 100,000 baht.

The 66 year old victim, Pimwipa, yesterday filed a complaint at Pluak Daeng Police Station in the eastern province of Rayong saying her bag with valuables worth over 100,000 baht was stolen. She also submitted security camera footage as evidence.

In the video, the thief, who wore a dark blue t-shirt and a cloth around his head to conceal his identity, entered the Thai woman’s grocery store and searched until he discovered her bag.

Officers reviewed the store’s security camera footage and later successfully identified the thief as 36 year old Ekkachai Meethong. The discovery shocked Pimwipa as Ekkachai was an employee of hers.

Pimwipa stated that Ekkachai and his wife worked at a construction site nearby her shop. They needed more money and applied to do part-time work at her grocery store. The Thai store owner agreed and provided them with free accommodation and meals.

Pimwipa added that she saw Ekkachai and his wife at the accommodation before learning about the thief’s identity. However, the two managed to flee the place after learning that Pimwipa knew about their wrongdoing. Officers are now reviewing footage from nearby security cameras to track down the suspects.

Unfortunately, many Thai couples make the headlines in theft cases. In February of this year, a couple was accused of embezzling 36 million baht from the bank’s client. The two denied the allegation, but the officer had enough evidence to lead to their criminal action.

In April of this year, a couple, who had a long history of crime, was arrested again for stealing money from a coffee shop in Bangkok. They confessed that they needed the money to pay for their drugs.

In another report, police arrested a couple in the northern province of Chiang Rai in June after they operated an investment scam and swindled 24 million baht from the victim.