Thai man finds pickup vandalised causing 50000 baht damage

A local woke up to an unpleasant surprise when an unidentified individual had vandalised his parked pickup with paint stripper, causing damage estimated around 50,000 baht.

The incident occurred in the early hours of yesterday, December 21, outside the Thai man’s rented residence in Wichit district, Phuket.

After the Phuket emergency centre 191 alerted the police, Theppitak Phuangmani, the Deputy Investigator of Wichit Police Station, along with the patrol team, rushed to the scene. They found a bronze Toyota Vigo with visible signs of paint stripper splattered all over the vehicle, causing the paint to peel off in patches on the roof, body, and the right side of the pickup, including the driver’s door and the rear door on the driver’s side.

The local, named Don (pseudonym), who was clueless about the perpetrator, reported the incident and recorded it as evidence for the police to further investigate. The reporter, who visited the house and inspected the damaged pickup truck, found Don at the scene. He recounted waking up around 2.10am, preparing for work, and going outside to dispose of the garbage when he noticed the damage to his vehicle.

“I was about to go to work around 3.10am. I start work at 4am. I think I might have a problem with a friend next door. We usually get along well. He asked me to turn down the music once, and I did. But before that, he was working in the morning, and it was noisy because of the welding of the roof iron. But I never complained because we have been living together for a long time. At first, he played the music, and when he turned it off, I turned mine on. When I turned it on, he asked me to turn it off, and I did.”

Unknown motive

Don further suggested that the neighbour seemed displeased and had shouted from the front of the house, possibly under the influence of alcohol. However, nothing of this sort had happened before. He also had no issues with his colleagues or other neighbours. He was confident that this was the act of the same individual. Considering the situation, Don felt staying there might be difficult, reported KhaoSod.

Until the case is closed, the vehicle will be kept at the hostel. The preliminary cost of repairing the entire vehicle is around 50,000 baht. Don believes the neighbour would have known about the vandalism the previous night as the lights were still on when he went to work.