Fabricated robbery to escape violent partner leads to justice twist for Thai woman in Chon Buri
A Thai woman who fabricated a robbery in fear of her violent boyfriend has been charged with perverting the course of justice in Ban Bueng, Chon Buri province. The distressed woman, Thanpimon, falsely reported the robbery to local police that her purse and mobile phone had been snatched by two men on a motorcycle but later admitted to fabricating the story out of fear of her partner’s rebuke over a minor monetary issue.
Arriving on the scene, the Ban Bueng police investigation team found a very anxious Thanpimon. Hinting at the robbery that took place yesterday in Chon Buri, Thanpimon explained to the police that around 5.42pm, while she was coming back to her apartment from a convenience store, located on Nong Chak 2/5 street, her green handbag which contained 300 baht and her mobile phone valued at 5,900 baht was allegedly snatched by two culprits on a motorbike.
Investigators circled back to the spot of the fabricated robbery, expecting to discover some evidence from the closed-circuit television camera installed in the area. However, the camera footage failed to reflect the sequence reported by Thanpimon, leading the police to investigate further.
The investigation officer, Chalong Sak, called the 31 year old to double-check the accuracy of her initial statement, away from her anxious boyfriend. When asked again, Thanpimon insisted that her story was not fabricated and that her belongings were indeed stolen.
The officer revealed to Thanpimon that the CCTV footage contradicted her report, and after seeing the undeniable evidence, Thanpimon confessed to fabricating the robbery in Chon Buri. She had actually sent the 300 baht to her child from a former spouse and feared an altercation over the cash transfer with her live-in partner.
Thanpimon then led the police to her room, where she had hidden her mobile phone and purse under a pile of clothes. She revealed the situation of dealing with a temperamental partner prone to physical abuse, whom she still loved and tolerated. Owing to her unemployment status, and having only one functioning kidney, she had been financially reliant on her boyfriend.
Thanpimon requested the law enforcers to keep the matter confidential from her boyfriend, fearing violent repercussions and financial abandonment. However, officers explained that her fraudulent report was law-violating, and necessary action would be taken, culminating in bringing her to the crime investigation department. Simultaneously, her boyfriend was summoned for a discussion and cautioned about potential legal action if he physically abused her.
