Brake-ing bad: Good Samaritan’s house guest nicks a ride
A Good Samaritan kindness nearly landed him in hot water, after the homeless man he took in turned out to be a sneaky thief with a stolen motorbike.
The kindly man narrowly dodged legal drama after unknowingly harbouring a motorcycle thief under his own roof in Bang Lamung, Chon Buri.
The drama unfolded yesterday, May 14, when 39 year old Suthep Thadyenjai spotted his missing Honda Wave i motorbike, stolen a week earlier, parked brazenly outside a house in Nong Prue.
The white bike, which was missing its licence plate, had been pinched from a relative’s home on Sukhumvit Road on May 8.
Lieutenant Thongthawat Phonlakorn, Deputy Inspector of Bang Lamung Police Station, was alerted after Suthep, while dropping his 12 year old son off at school, noticed the familiar-looking ride on the roadside.
“My son pointed it out. I thought it looked like mine, so I went back for a closer look after the school run. Sure enough, I recognised the scratches and marks, it was definitely mine. I called my family and the police straight away.”
Pattaya News reported that Bang Lamung and Nong Prue officers swooped on the house, where the bike was found, under the watchful eyes of Suthep and some neighbours.
The house belonged to 57 year old Phairot Rotthaphao, who used it for storage and admitted it was usually left unlocked. He explained that a man, later identified as 36 year old Nawee Sripairom, had shown up asking for a place to stay just two days earlier.
Feeling sorry for him, Phairot agreed, not realising he was opening his doors to a recently released convict.
“I just wanted to help someone in need but it almost landed me in jail. I had no idea he stole the bike.”
When officers found the door locked from the inside, a locksmith was called. Upstairs, they discovered Nawee fast asleep. He quickly confessed, telling police he’d stolen the motorbike after spotting the key left in the ignition. He’d been out of prison, jobless and homeless and saw an opportunity.
Phairot revealed the man had even tried to sell him the stolen bike for just 500 baht.
“I was suspicious, it didn’t feel right, so I said no. I didn’t even know his name at the time. I’d only seen him before when he came to drop off or pick up one of my old staff.”
Nawee was arrested and handed over to investigators for legal action.
As for Phairot, he’s learned a tough lesson in trust and narrowly avoided being caught in the fallout of a charity gone wrong.
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
