2 Thai women swindle life savings from old man in Isaan

An 85 year old Thai man is pleading for help after two Thai women allegedly stole life savings worth 150,000 baht from his home in the Isaan province of Chaiyaphum.

The 85 year old basketwork vendor, Phaen, told Channel 8 that the theft occurred at around 10.30am on Friday, May 10. He told the news channel that he had not yet revealed the loss to his 85 year old bedridden wife, fearing the news would worsen her condition.

Phaen recounted the incident to the media stating two women, aged about 25 to 30 years old, arrived at his home on a motorcycle. They claimed to be distant relatives from another community.

The women also claimed that they were lottery vendors and came to deliver tickets to customers at a house near Phaen’s home. They used this as an opportunity to visit Phaen and his wife and also expressed interest in buying Phaen’s goods.

After talking with Phaen for a while, one of the women said she needed to urinate and went to a forest behind Phaen’s home. The other woman continued talking with Phaen in front of the house. The woman returned from the forest, and they then left Phaen’s home.

Phaen felt suspicious and decided to go to the house of the person the women claimed as their customer. The person confirmed she had not ordered any tickets and no one had visited her home that day.

Phaen realised the woman had tricked him and rushed back home to check his valuables. He found a wallet containing 150,000 baht in cash missing from his bedroom. He suspected that one of the women sneaked into his home while claiming to need to urinate.

The CCTV footage showed the two women riding a white Honda Click 160i motorcycle without a registration plate. One woman wore a grey long-sleeved shirt, a face mask, and a black motorcycle helmet, while the other wore a plaid long-sleeved shirt with a grey motorcycle helmet.

Channel 8 reported that Phaen had been suffering from depression since the theft. He told the media that the stolen money was his entire life savings.

Phaen informed his children of the theft and they later reported the matter to Ban Phet Police Station. The family added that the two women previously stole from other victims and targeted old people who lived alone.