Thai thief flees after stealing 14 iPhones from mall near Bangkok

The owner of a mobile phone shop in the Central Westville shopping mall in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok issued a warning on social media after a thief stole 14 iPhones. The suspect is still at large.

The shop owner shared CCTV footage of the theft with the public and revealed that the heist occurred at his shop in Central Westville at around 9.30pm on December 23. The shop was closed and the shopping mall was about to pull down its shutters for the day.

CCTV footage revealed the thief dropping his black backpack at the shop’s entrance. After pacing back and forth outside the store, he seized the opportunity to swiftly enter when the coast was clear. Deliberately, he stowed the stolen iPhones in his backpack and exited the premises calmly.

The thief, attempting to blend in, wore a name badge around his neck, falsely presenting himself as a store employee. This disguise might have deceived both mall visitors and security guards, leading them to perceive him as a legitimate staff member rather than suspecting his involvement in the theft.

The shop owner told Channel 3 that all the stolen phones were the newly launched iPhone 15 and that the loss was more than 600,000 baht. The owner believed that the thief had planned long before the theft, as he appeared very professional and calm.

The shop owner urged other shops and people not to buy the stolen phones on the list:

iPhone15 Pro Max (512GB) White Titanium | IMEI 354679840918380

iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB) White Titanium | IMEI 358759852578797

iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB) Natural Titanium | IMEI 351182294586129

iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB) Natural Titanium | IMEI 351182295280920

iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB) Blue Titanium | IMEI 355319547622683

iPhone 15 Pro Max (256GB) Black Titanium | IMEI 350492198553740

iPhone 15 Pro (256GB) White Titanium | IMEI 356116989988625

iPhone 15 Pro (256GB) Natural Titanium | IMEI 354408272452431

iPhone 15 Pro (128GB) White Titanium | IMEI 356176841982166

iPhone 15 Pro (128GB) Blue Titanium | IMEI 354324413531563

iPhone 15 (256GB) Black | IMEI 357498445348027

iPhone 13 (128GB) Pink | IMEI 354154407638557

iPhone 13 (128GB) Midnight Black | IMEI 356228322660454

iPhone 13 (128GB) Blue | IMEI 351520701015556

Almost falling victim to fraud

According to the owner, a similar theft had previously occurred at a shopping mall in Bangkok’s Lat Phrao district, and the suspect in that case shared resemblances with the current one. The owner believed it to be the same person, given that the police had failed to apprehend the thief in the previous incident.

The predicament extended beyond the loss of iPhones. An unidentified Thai man, operating a Facebook account, attempted to defraud the owner by claiming to possess information about the thief. This individual demanded a payment of 10,000 baht in exchange for the purported details.

Despite almost succumbing to the demand, the owner heeded the police’s advice to await their investigation rather than making the payment. The unidentified man further discouraged the shop owner by asserting that all the phones would be sold before the police operation succeeded.

In response, the owner opted to disclose the entire incident to the public, aiming to alert other mobile phone shop owners about both the phone thief and the potential scammer.

The case is being investigated by Bang Kruai Police Station officers and the suspect is still at large.