Ladyboy duo nabbed for stealing gold necklace from Indian tourist

Police arrested two Thai ladyboy thieves for gold necklace theft in Pattaya after one of them was caught pretending to hug an Indian tourist and stealing his necklace worth about 60,000 baht.

The 50 year old victim, Subhash Petloj, reported the incident, which occurred around 10.50pm on May 9 to Mueang Pattaya Police Station. Petloj explained that he was relaxing on Pattaya Beach when the two transgender women approached him.

The women engaged in conversation with Petloj when one of them suddenly hugged him. While hugging him, the woman removed the gold necklace from his neck before leaving. Petloj realised his necklace was missing after they had gone and realised that the transwomen were tricky, not friendly.

Further investigation and review of security camera footage revealed that the transgender thieves were 34 year old Monlada “Em” Lahae and 41 year old Kotchapaphak “Nueng” Chamnanpoj. Their arrests were made yesterday, May 15.

Officers arrested Em at her rented room in the Bang Lamung district and seized her black Yamaha Fino motorcycle, which was used during the crime. Nueng was arrested at her condominium in Pattaya.

The two were charged with committing theft at night, which carries a penalty of one to seven years imprisonment and a fine of 20,000 to 140,000 baht under Section 335 of the Criminal Law.

Many thefts committed by Thai transgender women against Indian tourists have been reported in Pattaya and other tourist areas.

Similar cases include two Indian men losing their gold necklaces to transgender women in Pattaya last May, and another Indian man losing his 200,000 baht gold bracelet to a transgender thief last December.

A Japanese man lost about 60,000 baht in cash to two transgender women while travelling on a baht bus, and a Chinese tourist reported the theft of his 300,000 baht gold necklace by a Thai transgender woman.

Another Thai transwoman used the same trick as these two transgender thieves to steal a gold necklace from a foreign man in the Asoke neighbourhood of Bangkok in April 2022.