97 year old woman’s 3.4 million baht stolen by assistant in Thailand

A 24 year old man has been arrested for stealing over 3.4 million baht (US$96,840) from an 97 year old woman. The arrest of the accused, Thanapat (surname withheld), was executed today (January 16), by Police Lieutenant Colonel Piyaphong Wongketuchai, the head of Ban Pong Police Station in Ratchaburi Province, along with his investigative team.

The stolen money was spent on a wide range of items, including a white BMW car, a grey Honda Forza motorcycle, and 23 government lottery tickets. In addition, over 140 online lottery tickets were purchased. Upon inspection, the authorities recovered 1.2 million baht (US$34,179) of cash, 22 baht weight of ornamental and bar gold, and all the purchased items.

The victim, Jit (pseudonym), who has no close relatives, hired Thanapat on December 30 last year, to assist her in withdrawing money from a local bank. However, yesterday, January 15, she discovered that a significant amount of money was missing from her account.

The village head, Chesda Chaonchom, accompanied Jit to the bank to verify the situation and later reported the incident to Ban Pong Police Station.

Jit recounted her story, stating that she had moved to southern Thailand with her husband when she was 25 years old. Her husband worked as a contractor, while she ran a shop. Every month, her husband would transfer between 20,000 and 30,000 baht (US$570-854) to Jit for savings.

After her husband’s death, she returned to her hometown in Ban Pong with her life savings, intending to sustain her livelihood and make donations to various temples, reported KhaoSod.

Unfortunately, Jit fell victim to Thanapat’s scheme. Initially, Jit was hesitant about trusting Thanapat due to his not-so-good reputation. However, she had no choice due to her advanced age and lack of assistance. The discovery of the theft of over 3 million baht (US$85,453) from her bank account left her shocked and weak.

In his confession, Thanapat admitted to acting alone without any accomplices. He took advantage of Jit’s vulnerable state and secretly opened an online bank account in her name. He then transferred approximately 200,000 baht (US$5,697) daily to his account, in amounts ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 baht (US$570-1,139).

The stolen money was used to settle his debts and purchase various assets, including a second-hand BMW car for 330,000 baht (US$9,399) and a second-hand motorcycle for 145,000 baht (US$4,130).

Following the report, the investigative team quickly identified Thanapat as the culprit and arrested him at his residence. They are currently investigating if there were any accomplices involved. Experts invited to inspect the recovered gold confirmed its authenticity, valuing the total at over 700,000 baht (US$19,939).

Considering the severity of Thanapat’s actions, which included 127 separate money transfers, the authorities have charged him with theft during both day and night.

In related news, a double amputee’s fundraiser money for prosthetic legs was stolen in Phatthalung province, leaving the woman devastated. Police work on a case involving a minor suspect.