10 year old homeless boy steals 3.5 million baht from Aussie woman in Pattaya

Police yesterday arrested a 10 year old homeless Thai boy for stealing valuables worth 3.5 million baht from an Australian businesswoman staying in a rented house in Pattaya on Saturday, November 16.

The victim, 40 year old Toni Anne Hughes, filed a complaint at Mueang Pattaya Police Station on Saturday, reporting that she left her rented house on Friday, November 15, and returned the following day to find all her valuables missing.

Hughes discovered signs of a break-in and noticed that the back door of her house was left open. The stolen valuables included:

• Two Cartier rings worth 1 million baht
• A Cartier watch worth 300,000 baht
• A Rolex watch worth 600,000 baht
• Two gold necklaces worth 800,000 baht
• A gold ring worth 45,000 baht
• A pair of gold earrings worth 100,000 baht
• Designer handbags
• Valuable Buddhist amulets
• Other accessories

Anne checked CCTV footage and spotted a young boy wearing a T-shirt and shorts, carrying a backpack. Police reviewed the footage and identified the suspect as a 10 year old boy, identified only as A, who was known to them.

According to the police report, the boy is homeless and usually sleeps on an abandoned plot of land near Nong Or Temple. Officers located him at the site and arrested him with all the stolen items in his backpack. The valuables were returned to the Australian victim.

The boy admitted to the theft and was questioned at Mueang Pattaya Police Station before being transferred to a shelter for children and families. He will be questioned again by specialists. Details regarding any legal action were not included in the report.

In a related incident earlier this month, three Thai boys stole food from a som tam restaurant in Trat Province. One of them, aged 16, was caught by a good Samaritan.

The boy admitted to stealing chicken eggs, peanuts, and snacks because he and his friends had not eaten for four days. He explained that he ran away from home due to family issues and had been living with friends since then.

The shop owner, moved by his situation, decided not to press charges and instead provided him with food and drink. The boy expressed his gratitude with tears of thanks.