Lottery luck runs out for bag-grabbing Thai employee

A private Thai company employee was arrested by Nakhon Sawan police for theft after CCTV footage showed him picking up an unattended bag left at a hospital. The bag, belonging to a local cattle trader contained 105,000 baht and 20 government lottery tickets.

Instead of returning the bag, he used the money for personal indulgences, including buying drugs, a motorbike, and a mobile phone, and indulging in online gambling.

Surit, a cleaning staff member of a private company, was assigned to clean various hospitals in Nakhon Sawan City. On the night in question, he noticed a woman’s bag left unattended. When he picked up the bag and found a large amount of money inside, he rushed home immediately.

He further confessed to sharing the money with his girlfriend, buying drugs, and investing in online gambling, which ultimately left him penniless. Despite his arrest, Surit still has no idea how he will repay the money to its rightful owner, reported KhaoSod.

Wanpha, the rightful owner of the bag, revealed that she went to an ATM and withdrew 75,000 baht (US$2,069), adding it to the 30,000 baht already in her bag, totalling 105,000 baht. She intended to use the money to buy food for her large herd of cattle. However, she left her bag in the care of a friend in the car when she visited a patient at the hospital and later found it missing.

After reviewing the hospital’s CCTV footage and seeing a private cleaning company staff member pick up the bag, Wanpha was convinced that he was the thief. She reported the matter to the Nakhon Sawan City Police Station. Within a day, the police arrested Surit. However, it was too late as he had already spent all the money and claimed that he was unable to repay the debt.

Wanpha expressed her gratitude to the police and those who provided leads that led to the swift arrest of the culprit. The police charged Surit with theft during the night and handed him over to the Nakhon Sawan City Police Station for further legal proceedings.

The police are also pursuing his girlfriend, who allegedly shared the stolen money.

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