Fuelling the fire: Thai-Italian man arrested for stealing petrol in Bangkok (video)

Police arrested a half-Thai, half-Italian man for stealing 2,600 baht worth of fuel from a petrol station in the Lat Phrao district of Bangkok.

The Thai-Italian suspect, 29 year old Tanrak Corsaro, stole fuel from a petrol station on Soi Lat Phrao 134 in Bangkok on October 5. Tanrak was seen on CCTV driving his white Mercedes-Benz C 350 into the petrol station on that October evening.

When the attendant finished pumping petrol and returned the pump to its docking point, Tanrak simply drove off without paying. The petrol station then reported the theft to Chok Chai Police Station.

Officers conducted a search for Tanrak and apprehended him in a rented room in Bangkok’s Bueang Kum district, where he admitted to the theft. The investigating officers revealed that Tanrak had an extensive criminal record and had made another attempt at theft.

On November 23, Tanrak entered Laddarom Watcharaphon village in Bangkok’s Saimai district with the intention of breaking into a house. His plan was thwarted when the homeowner returned just in the nick of time.

Fleeing the scene, Tanrak encountered a security guard at the village entrance. Refusing to surrender, he forcefully broke through a barrier gate to make his escape. Although the homeowner filed a complaint with the police, an arrest warrant had not been issued at that time.

Tanrak faces charges of illegal possession of weapons in Bangkok in 2022 and theft in Samut Prakarn province earlier this year.

For the petrol station theft, Tanrak faces a jail term of one to five years and a fine of 20,000 to 100,000 baht for violating Section 335 of the Criminal Code by committing theft at night.

When questioned by the police, Tanrak said that the stress of his mother’s illness had forced him to steal. He also blamed his friends for changing his behaviour and making him a bad person.