Hitchhiker’s gratitude turns into car theft for kindhearted siblings in Udon Thani

Two kindhearted siblings who gave a lift to a hitchhiker yesterday in the Isaan province of Udon Thani saw their trust backfire when he stole their car.

The victim, a 29 year old woman named Khanittha, reported the incident at Mueang Udon Thani Police Station after her black Honda BR-V SUS was stolen by the unnamed hitchhiker.

Khanittha explained that she and her 36 year old brother, Apiwat, had travelled from Bangkok to Udon Thani to visit friends. However, upon arrival, they found their friends were not at home. They then decided to visit a nearby shopping mall before heading back home.

While Apiwat was parking the car, a man between 30 and 35 years old approached them and asked for a ride to Bangkok. The man claimed his home was in the Krathum Ban district of Bangkok. According to Khanittha, the man appeared to be trustworthy and well-mannered, and they saw him wearing a gold necklace, which further reinforced their trust in him. They did not inquire why he did not have any belongings or a backpack.

The siblings agreed to give the man a ride to Bangkok and even invited him to have dinner with them before the trip.

Upon reaching the Udon Thani-Khon Kaen Bypass Intersection, they stopped at a convenience store. While everyone got out of the car, Apiwat went to retrieve his shoes from the passenger seat. At that moment, the thief took advantage of the situation and quickly jumped into the driver’s seat. Apiwat thought the man would move the car for him and let him take control of the wheel. However, the thief drove the car backwards and immediately fled the scene, leaving the two siblings shocked and confused.

Khanittha informed the media that the police would review the security cameras near the location to track down the thief. She also warned others not to trust strangers as she and her brother did.

Khanittha said…

“Do not trust anyone so easily. This is a huge lesson learned for me.”

This is not the first time a kind-hearted person has lost their car to a trustworthy stranger. In February, a 75 year old app-based driver lost his car to a female passenger. He let the woman drive his car before getting kicked out of the vehicle in the middle of the road.