Sneaky thief

BANGKOK: After waking up to find that their house had been broken into, a high-society couple in Bangkok were left more than a little confused when they discovered that the thief had ignored a selection of diamond and gold jewelry – instead making off with more than 20 pairs of shoes. The crime scene, an elegant European-style house that had previously been used to shoot soap opera jao chai hua jai gern roi (Prince of Over a Hundred Hearts), perhaps left the thief feeling that his own attire was a little inadequate. Thus confronted with such a hi-so abode, he also took six pairs of designer sunglasses and a leather briefcase worth 15,000 baht. The owner of the house, Utcharawadee Wongsakol, a famous jewelry designer who counts many celebrities among her clients, said, “It’s very strange. The thief seems to have only been interested in leather shoes. “He totally ignored a selection of diamond rings, bracelets and tens of thousands of baht in cash. Maybe he just didn’t notice them.” The burglary was discovered when K. Utcharawadee’s husband, Daniel Tabuch, got up for a drink of water in the night and found the front door wide open and their possessions scattered all over the floor. The French financial analyst then woke up his wife, who promptly called the police. The couple were left barefootedly kicking themselves that they had neglected to fix the burglar alarm, which had broken down only a few days before. Pol Lt Col Seksit Sapa-oun said that the now presumably very well-heeled thief had gained entry to the house by prying open the kitchen window with a hammer, which was left at the scene. Police also retained as evidence a brand-new bicycle and a white-and-blue striped T-shirt, both found by a wall in front of the house. Lt Col Seksit dismissed the theory that the perpetrator was a connoisseur of distinguished footwear, instead working on the assumption that he is part of a gang of secondhand shoe merchants. Investigating officers are now searching secondhand shops for leads. For the moment, however, it appears that the robber has shown the police a clean pair of heels.