Bangkok homeless man steals luxury bag from Chinese tourist
Police arrested a Thai homeless man for snatching a luxury bag from a Chinese tourist outside a restaurant in Bangkok’s Yan Nawa area on Friday, January 16.
The Chinese victim filed a theft complaint with Yannawa Police Station at around 9.45pm. She told officers that she had been dining at a restaurant on Narathiwat Ratchanakarin Road and briefly left her belongings outside the venue for about 15 minutes.
The stolen items included two bags, one containing a laptop, and another Gucci bag valued at around 100,000 baht, which held a Louis Vuitton wallet, her passport, and debit cards.
Police reviewed nearby CCTV footage and identified a suspect grabbing both bags before quickly leaving the scene. The man was seen wearing khaki trousers, a black long-sleeve plaid shirt, layered with a light denim jacket, and carrying a black backpack.
Officers tracked the suspect down within two hours. At around 11.30pm, police arrested him outside a convenience store on Lan Luang Road. He was identified as 45 year old Piya Khamkao, and all of the victim’s belongings were successfully recovered and seized.
During questioning, Piya claimed that he was homeless and said he noticed the bags were left unguarded, prompting him to take them and flee.
He was charged under Section 335 of the Criminal Law for committing theft at night, an offence punishable by one to five years in prison, a fine of 20,000 to 100,000 baht, or both.
Several theft cases have been reported in Bangkok in recent weeks. On January 9, police arrested a motorcycle thief within an hour of a theft at a car park in Suan Luang Square.
Earlier this month, a Thai transgender social media influencer caught a male bar host breaking into her home and stealing designer bags and cash.
In December, two Tunisian men were arrested for snatching a gold necklace worth 150,000 baht from a British victim in the capital. In the same month, a foreign woman fell victim to a pickpocket gang while walking on Songwat Road near Bangkok’s Chinatown.
