Woman arrested for stealing from foreigners at Bangkok airports and malls
The Thai Tourist Police arrested a woman for stealing money and assets from foreigners at Don Mueang International Airport and shopping malls in Bangkok. The officers also discovered 293 tablets of methamphetamine and 1.26 grammes of crystal meth at her accommodation.
The arrest was made after a Chinese woman reported that her designer YSL (Yves Saint Laurent) handbag worth over 100,000 baht had been stolen at the Don Mueang International Airport on Sunday, April 9. She explained that she had left the handbag and her luggage near Gate 8 while visiting a convenience store in the passenger terminal, and later discovered that the handbag was missing.
Tourist Police Bureau officers reviewed nearby CCTV footage and identified the culprit as Pornthip Khantarak, a 53 year old woman who had a history of thefts at airports and shopping malls in Bangkok. She had been released from prison just last year after being arrested several times.
Officers apprehended Pornthip at a Burger King near Siam BTS station where she had just stolen a wallet belonging to a Filipino tourist. The wallet contained 23,000 pesos (14,230 baht), and the tourist had not yet filed a complaint with the police. Officers contacted the Embassy of the Republic of the Philippines in Bangkok to locate the victim.
After Pornthip’s arrest, officers searched her residence located in Soi Pracha Ruam Jai 62 in the Min Buri district of Bangkok. They discovered 293 tablets of methamphetamine and 1.26 grammes of crystal meth. During interrogation, Pornthip confessed to using drugs with her husband and selling narcotics to teenagers in the Min Buri area. However, her husband had been arrested for drug-related charges in March of this year, so she turned to stealing from foreign tourists to support her illegal business.
As a result of her actions, Pornthip faces three charges including:
- Section 334 of the Criminal Law: whoever steals the assets of another person shall be punished with imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to 60,000 baht.
- Section 15 of the Narcotic Act: whoever possesses drug category 1 shall be punished with imprisonment from one to 10 years, a fine of up to 5 million baht, or both
- Section 57 of the Narcotic Act: using the drug category 1 shall be punished with imprisonment for six months to three years, a fine of 10,000 to 60,000 baht or both
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