Pattaya: Couple snatches motorbike while noodle shop owner naps

A chicken noodle vendor in Pattaya woke up to discover his motorbike had vanished – all because he left the key in the ignition while taking a nap.

The 26 year old vendor, Thanapol Bingkhunthod, runs a small but busy chicken noodle shop on Soi Arunothai. His day took a turn for the worse yesterday, September 23, when a crafty couple made off with his black and grey Honda Wave 110i motorbike.

“I just dozed off for a moment, and when I woke up, my motorbike was gone.”

Surveillance footage shows the thieves – a man and a woman, who Thanapol believes are a couple – scouting the area before executing their swift theft. The man casually started Thanapol’s bike, while the woman rode off on her own.

“It all happened so quickly. My motorbike is crucial for my business.”

Realising what had happened, Thanapol immediately contacted the Pattaya Police Station and handed over the CCTV footage. The Pattaya police wasted no time in dispatching an investigative team to track down the brazen criminals. The suspects, whose images were captured by the surveillance cameras, are now being pursued by local police.

Thanapol remains hopeful that justice will be served, though he is still reeling from the incident.

“I never imagined something like this could happen so easily.”

Police are urging anyone with information to come forward as they close in on the motorbike thieves, reported Pattaya News.

In related news, a woman in Phuket experienced a frightening encounter when a ladyboy, apparently under the influence of drugs, entered her home uninvited and demanded the key to her motorbike. When she refused, the individual stole the key and, after a confrontation with a group of young males, fled the scene.

In other news, a Ukrainian woman and her friend reported a motorcycle rental scam in Pattaya after discovering that their rental bikes were stolen and taken across Thailand’s border.