Elderly couple in Udon Thani conned out of 100,000 baht by fake coconut buyers

Two female thieves conned an elderly couple out of more than 100,000 baht in cash and gold, after gaining his trust by posing as coconut buyers. The incident took place in Nong Han, Udon Thani yesterday, September 11, and the victims have appealed for police intervention.

Rung Wachnarat reported that on September 8, around lunchtime, he was at home when two women, appearing to be mother and daughter, arrived on a motorcycle. They asked to buy coconuts from him, and while the 76 year old went to gather the coconuts, one of the women asked to use the toilet.

He pointed her towards the outside toilet, but she claimed it was too difficult to use and asked to use the indoor one instead.

Rung continued, saying that while he was gathering the coconuts, the other woman kept him engaged in conversation, asking about his family and their whereabouts.

After about 20 minutes, the older woman emerged from the house, and they quickly mounted their motorcycle and drove away.

Upon entering the house, Rung discovered that his wife’s bedroom door was open, and her belongings had been rummaged through. His 76 year old wife, Lamduan Wachnarat, returned from the temple to find that her gold jewellery, weighing 5 baht, and nearly 50,000 baht in cash had been stolen.

Lamduan expressed her heartbreak, revealing that the stolen gold had been saved over a long period since gold was worth 8,000 baht per baht.

She urged the police to catch the thieves and return her belongings, promising not to press charges if they did. She also highlighted that they were not the only victims in the area, with others having reported thefts to the police with no progress on their cases.

The couple’s 49 year old son, Kitchana Wachnarat, explained that his parents and nephew lived at the house, with other family members visiting from time to time. He was disgusted that the elderly couple were conned.

He stressed that the stolen items were their last possessions of value and appealed to the Nong Han police station to track down the culprits, as their faces were clearly visible on CCTV footage. He expressed hope that they would be caught before they could victimise others, reported Khaosod Online.