Pickpockets theft of Norweigian-Thai couple was karma, say cops

A Thai police officer dismissed a complaint from a Norwegian man and his Thai girlfriend who lost 30,000 baht in cash and a mobile phone to four pickpockets outside a shopping mall in Bangkok. The Thai cop allegedly told the foreigner it was his fault, a result of bad karma in their past lives.

The Thai woman and her Norwegian boyfriend sought assistance from the non-profit organisation Saimai Survive after officers from Lumpini Police Station and the Immigration Bureau did not take their case seriously.

Speaking to the organisation and reporters on March 26, the woman explained that she and her foreign boyfriend had planned their wedding ceremony in Thailand for April 12. So, they visited CentralWorld shopping mall on March 24 to try on wedding dresses and buy rings.

Afterwards, they waited for a public bus at a stop in front of Big C supermarket, across from CentralWorld. The woman realised that her iPhone 14 Pro Max and a wallet, containing two credit cards and 30,000 baht in cash had been stolen when they were on the bus could not pay the fares.

They suspected that pickpockets took advantage when a crowd scrambled to get on the bus to steal their belongings. They decided to rush to Lumpini Police Station to seek help from police.

Karma from 100 years ago

To their surprise, officers asked them to obtain security camera footage from Big C themselves, citing they were on a mission to arrest drug dealers.

They then turned to the Immigration Bureau, where an officer suggested that they let it go. This officer told the couple that as this theft might be the result of their karma in their past lives, 100 years ago. The officer added that they were fortunate not to lose their lives.

The couple had no choice but to return to Big C to get the CCTV footage. The woman said the CCTV camera captured the pickpocketing incident very clearly.

One man blocked the Norwegian, while two female pickpockets blocked the woman, allowing a transwoman to grab the belongings from their bag.

The victims believed that the transwoman had been following them since they were at CentralWorld, as they were familiar with her face.

During the interview, the Norwegian man expressed his disappointment, stating his love for Thailand and his decision to host his wedding in the country. He admitted to being caught off guard by the incident.

His partner added that her boyfriend had been visibly stressed following the theft. While they didn’t anticipate recovering all their belongings, they hoped that the authorities would apprehend the pickpockets to deter future crimes.

The Saimai Survive founder, Ekkaphop Lueangprasert, promised to assist the couple and coordinate with the superintendent of Lumpini Police Station.