Bangkok taxi driver’s mobile heist: Cabbie steals 800,000 baht from forgotten phone

Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) arrested a Bangkok taxi driver who used a mobile phone left in the taxi by his passenger to steal more than 800,000 baht.

The victim, whose identity was not disclosed, filed a complaint with officers at Thong Lor Police Station on September 19 after more than 800,000 baht went missing because the victim left the mobile phone in a Bangkok taxi. The victim reportedly took the taxi from outside the CentralWorld shopping centre and was dropped off at a condominium in the Khlong Toey district.

Transaction records show the money was transferred to the Bangkok taxi driver’s bank account in the name of Saichon Yotpinit. The money was also withdrawn from more than 30 ATMs in Bangkok and nearby provinces.

Police checked security cameras at the condominium and along the road, until they were able to identify the number plate of the Bangkok taxi driver’s car. Officers then tracked him down and arrested him yesterday, October 5, while he was driving along Chonnabot Road in the central province of Samut Songkram.

Saichon admitted to the fraud and said it was not his first time. He reportedly confiscated mobile phones left in his car by passengers and stole the money.

According to criminal records, Saichon has been arrested before and later released on bail. He was required to report to the court but failed to do so. He evaded arrest and court appearances to work as a Bangkok taxi driver and rob passengers.

In this case, Saichon faces two charges including:

• Section 269/5 of the Criminal Law: illegally using another person’s electronic card or device which causes damage to the person or the public. The penalty will be imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both.
• Section 335 of the Criminal Law: stealing assets at night time. The penalty will be imprisonment from one to five years and a fine from 20,000 to 100,000 baht.

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