Thai man steals from friend to buy ring to win back ex-wife

A Thai man surrendered to the police after stealing more than 100,000 baht worth of valuables from his friend‘s home in Chon Buri province, allegedly to buy a gold ring to win back his ex-wife.

The victim, 42 year old Tharathep, filed a complaint at Na Jomtien Police Station after catching his former colleague and neighbour, 44 year old Bandit, stealing from his apartment in the Sattahip district of Chon Buri yesterday, October 21.

Tharathep explained that more than 100,000 baht worth of valuables went missing from the room on multiple occasions. He and his girlfriend blamed each other for the losses, leading them to install a security camera in the room.

On the day of the incident, the CCTV camera alerted Tharathep to the trespass. He checked the footage and saw his close friend searching his room for valuables. Bandit later noticed the camera, cut the wires, and escaped from the room through the window.

Footage from the security camera outside the apartment showed Bandit climbing out of the third-floor window and reaching the ground safely without any equipment. Tharathep reported the theft to the security guards but they were unable to stop Bandit in time.

According to Tharathep, Bandit did not manage to steal anything from the room this time. Tharathep was shocked by the discovery, never expecting the thief to be his close friend, who even lived in the same building.

The head of security later went to Bandit’s room but he was not there. Only his wife and child were at home. His wife admitted that Bandit was previously arrested for theft and struggled to find a job after his release from prison.

She revealed that she previously broke up with Bandit but he begged her to reunite and gave her a gold ring as a gift. Bandit claimed to his wife that he earned the money through online gambling.

Bandit later turned himself in. He expressed guilt for being unable to provide for his wife and child and admitted to committing theft to support them. However, he insisted that the money used to buy the gold ring was not from theft.