Thai taxi driver caught stealing 1,000 baht dropped in petrol station bathroom
Lawyers remind public that theft charge applies even if cash is found unattended
A Thai man condemned a taxi driver for stealing a 1,000-baht banknote that he accidentally dropped in a bathroom at a petrol station in Nakhon Pathom.
The victim, 33 year old Top, took to the Facebook group, รวมพลคนขับแท็กซี่ (แห่งประเทศไทย), translating to Taxi Driver Thailand, to search for the taxi driver who reportedly took his money on Saturday, October 11.
Top included a picture of the taxi and footage showing the driver taking the money in his Facebook post, captioning it, “Please return my money.”
In the video, Top can be seen walking out of a petrol station bathroom while the taxi driver was washing his hands at a sink. As he left, Top took out his phone from his shorts and accidentally dropped the 1,000-baht bill.
Immediately after Top turned his back, the taxi driver allegedly picked up the banknote and put it in his trousers. Although Top was close enough to retrieve the money, the driver did not return it.
In an interview with Channel 7, Top said he had visited the petrol station for a car repair at a garage on the premises. While waiting for the repair, he used the bathroom and later realised the loss when he went to pay for the service.
Top stated he was confident he had prepared the banknote for the repair fee, but could not find it. Suspecting theft, he requested to check the CCTV footage in the bathroom, which revealed the incident. He said…
“The amount of money is not that much, but the taxi driver should not have done this. If he found dropped money and no one was there, it would be OK to keep it. But I was just there, turning my back for a few minutes. He should have called out to me and returned the bill.”
Channel 7 reported that the taxi driver could face charges under Section 334 of the Criminal Law: theft for keeping another person’s lost property when the rightful owner intends to reclaim it.
Even if there is no one nearby, the Lawyers Council of Thailand under Royal Patronage recommends that anyone who finds lost property should report it to the police. The property may legally belong to the finder after one year if the owner does not claim it.
Failing to report the discovery to the police can result in imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both, under Section 352’s embezzlement charges.
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