2 Thai transwomen arrested for pickpocketing Israeli tourist in Pattaya
Police arrested two Thai transwomen after they pickpocketed an Israeli tourist on Pattaya Walking Street in the early hours of Monday, December 22.
Patrol officers on the walking street received a complaint from the victim, a 52 year old Israeli national identified as Chamam Saher, at around 3.40am. He reported that his money had been stolen near a currency exchange booth along the busy nightlife strip.
The case was later handed over to Pattaya Tourist Police officers, who arrived at the scene and found the Israeli tourist engaged in a heated argument with a Thai transwoman. The man accused her of stealing his money and demanded that it be returned.
Officers detained the transwoman for questioning and began searching the surrounding area for additional evidence. During the operation, police spotted another suspected transwoman standing behind the currency exchange booth and questioned her.
Both suspects confessed to working together to pickpocket the Israeli tourist. They were later identified as 35 year old Chanayut and 27 year old Kritsana. The two came from the Isaan provinces of Nakhon Ratchasima and Roi Et to Pattaya in search of work.
A search of the suspects’ belongings led officers to discover cash including 1,200 Thai baht, US$300, and 160 Israeli shekels. Chamam confirmed that the recovered cash belonged to him.
Officers formally informed them of the charges and their legal rights before transferring them to investigators at Mueang Pattaya Police Station for further legal proceedings.
The arrest follows a similar case reported earlier this month in Bangkok. In this case, a foreign woman was pickpocketed on Songwat Road near Bangkok’s Chinatown. She only realised her valuables were missing after leaving the area and later returned to request CCTV footage from a nearby restaurant.
The footage showed three suspects approaching the victim from behind. One suspect was seen removing valuables from the woman’s tote bag before passing them to another member of the group. The value of the stolen items and whether arrests were made in that case were not disclosed.
