Family drama: Thai thief begs to be jailed to escape cruel life

A Thai man, arrested for theft in the central province of Chachoengsao, pleaded with police officers to jail him so he could escape the cruel realities of the world and issues within his family. He expressed that his family rejected him, and believes his incarceration would be a gift for them.

Officers from Bang Pakong Police Station responded to the theft incident at a recycling store in the Bang Pakong district of Chachoengsao province on February 15. Upon arrival, officers found a couple, a 59 year old man Somdate and 62 year old woman Yai, detaining the thief, 42 year old Anucha inside the store.

Somdate and Yai explained to the police that Anucha visited their store to sell recycled items. Yai grew suspicious of Anucha’s demeanour and noted his familiarity with the recycled trash. She harboured suspicions that the items belonged to their shop and that Anucha was attempting to deceive her by reselling them.

When Yai directly questioned Anucha about the source of the items, he refused to answer. Yai decided to check the CCTV cameras and discovered Anucha stealing the items from her shop and trying to resell them. Anucha, angered by the discovery, dared Yai to file a complaint to the police.

Taking advantage of the situation when Yai contacted the police, Anucha snatched her handbag and fled the store. Somdate and the shop employees chased after Anucha and managed to catch him 1 kilometre away from the store. Anucha reportedly jumped into a pond to escape the arrest but his plan failed.

Family gift

When police arrived, Anucha broke into tears and claimed that the cruel world and issues within his family forced him to commit theft. He expressed a desire to go to prison to escape from his troubles.

Anucha revealed that despite his parents’ teachings to be a good person, they themselves engaged in wrongdoing and instructed him to cover it up. When he tried to expose their transgressions and filed a complaint with the police, no one supported him, not even his wife.

His parents and wife justified their wrongdoing as a means of earning a livelihood, advising him to accept reality or face prison. Feeling neglected and despondent, Anucha turned to theft as a coping mechanism. He believed that his arrest would be a relief for his family.

Regardless of the veracity of Anucha’s account, he faces a penalty of five to ten years’ imprisonment and a fine ranging from 100,000 to 200,000 baht for theft under Section 340 of the Criminal Law.