Norwegian man arrested for stealing taxi from Krabi Airport in southern Thailand

Thai police did a double take yesterday afternoon when they saw a Norwegian man driving a taxi out of Krabi International Airport in southern Thailand. The thief made the police chase easy by stopping at a convenience store to buy a drink, where he was arrested and detained.

At 3.30pm, officers from Huai Yot Police Station in Trang province received a request from Nuea Khlong Police Station in Krabi province to intercept a yellow and blue taxi driving toward Trang province on the Phetchakasem Road, being driven by a farang (Westerner).

The getaway driver stopped to buy a soft drink at a convenience store near Ban Khao Kop village in Trang’s Huai Yot district on Phetchakasem Road.

Police said a Western man about 180-190 centimetres tall emerged from the airport taxi and went into the shop. When he saw that police were following him, he ran through the store and into the home of the shopkeeper and hid in the bathroom. The shopkeeper was in a state of shock at the situation.

The Norwegian man soon realised his joyride was over and emerged from the bathroom. Police arrested him, put him in the back of the police car, and took him to Huai Yot Police Station. The Tourist Police picked him up and took him back to Nuea Khlong Police Station near the scene of the crime.

The thief, of Norwegian nationality, told police he went to Krabi on a bus from Bangkok. He wanted to get a bus back to Bangkok, so he thought he would try the airport.

Police said the Norwegian would not cooperate with police or tell them why he stole the taxi. The foreigner kept saying “no” to everything the police asked him, they said.

The carjacker crashed into a motorbike and another vehicle on his journey, significantly damaging the left side of the taxi, said police.

The owner of the taxi, 53 year old Suthep [surname reserved], said he was parked outside international arrivals at Krabi airport. He was waiting to transport some tourists to their hotel who had already booked his taxi in advance.

The taxi driver said the Norwegian man got in the back of his taxi and asked to take him to the Krabi bus terminal because he needed to take a bus back to Bangkok.

The driver said he couldn’t take him as he had already arranged to take other tourists to their hotel, but the Norwegian did not seem best pleased. The taxi driver got out of the vehicle to open the boot for his customers to put their luggage in the car.

At that moment, the Norwegian clambered from the backseat into the driver’s seat and drove away toward Trang. The taxi driver said he jumped in front of his taxi to try and stop him, but the Norwegian crashed into him, said the taxi driver. Luckily the taxi driver wasn’t hurt, but the tourist managed to escape.

The police said the taxi thief would be prosecuted according to the law and pay for all damages he caused.