Indonesian pickpocket gang nabbed at Bangkok mall after stealing 310,000 baht

An Indonesian gang specialising in pickpocketing was apprehended at a well-known shopping centre in Bangkok and swiftly brought to justice by police following a report from a Japanese victim. The culprits were caught yesterday (January 25) at around 8am, shortly after their ill-fated heist.

The swift police action led to the recovery of a cache of items and the confession of the gang members, who now face charges for their crimes.

On Wednesday, January 24, a Japanese national, Yoshimune Yoshida, fell victim to a pickpocketing incident in a popular Sukhumvit shopping mall. Yoshida had just exchanged a substantial amount of US dollars, approximately 310,000 Thai baht (US$8,694), and placed the money in his backpack, which he carried on his back while shopping. Within minutes, his money was gone, believed to have been stealthily taken by the gang.

The police, led by Deputy Chief of Thonglor Police Station Pansak Amrapitak and Lieutenant Akkrapol Thantham, alongside the investigative team, quickly examined CCTV footage from the mall. They identified a suspect monitoring Yoshida from outside the currency exchange before following him.

The footage revealed that after Yoshida stopped to browse items, one of the gang members, Isandi, reached into Yoshida’s backpack and removed the envelope containing the cash.

After separating from the victim, the culprits escaped by hailing a pink taxi outside the mall. The police followed their trail through CCTV cameras along their escape route, leading to a hotel in the Ramkhamhaeng area where the gang had taken refuge. The hotel staff confirmed the group’s Indonesian nationality and their day-to-day room bookings.

The police raid on the hotel captured 61 year old Jaya Abidin, 58 year old Isandi, 41 year old Suendra, and 50 year old Ivan Susanto, all of Indonesian origin. They faced charges of joint theft and were found with various items used during the crime, including a black backpack, grey sneakers, and a white LEVIS cap, among others, reported KhaoSod.

During the investigation, the suspects admitted to targeting victims who carried money in backpacks, with plans to divide the stolen cash among themselves and send it to their families in Indonesia. The Thonglor Police took the gang into custody for legal proceedings, leveraging the weight of evidence against them.

In related news, a Cambodian couple was arrested for pickpocketing in Bangkok, using the theft techniques taught by Vietnamese thieves in Thailand.