Prime suspect in Pattaya’s thefts against Indian tourists arrested
There’s been a major development in the chaos this year around thieves stealing from Indian tourists in Pattaya. One of the prime suspects has been arrested on August 15, police reported yesterday. Tourist Police Colonel Somchai Theerapatphaisarn said the suspect, named Frame, is a transgender individual.
Somchai said Frame had fled to Bangkok, and they have allegedly confessed to multiple thefts in Pattaya. Frame is now in custody facing charges of theft.
This news comes after over 10 incidents of thefts against Indian tourists in Pattaya have been reported this year. Most of these incidents involve thieves stealing gold necklaces off victims’ necks. Suspects often flirt with the tourists and touch them, asking them to come to their hotel with them.
While the victims are distracted, the thieves often sneakily take off the victims’ necklaces. Victims often only realise they have been robbed after they manage to push the thieves away.
There has also been at least one Indian tourist who reported their wallet being snatched. Last month, an Indian tourist reported that a transgender person nabbed his wallet with 17,000 baht in Central Pattaya in the early hours of the morning.
Many, though not all of the suspects, have been transgender, and some transgender rights activists are concerned about this leading to negative stereotypes of their community. Last month, the deputy director of the Pattaya Sisters Foundation said she suspects that the same group of people is repeatedly stealing from tourists. She said this is strongly impacting transgender workers at bars and other venues, where tourists are now shying away from them.
Apart from Frame, one other transgender person who committed several thefts was arrested in Pattaya in June. Hopefully, once the key suspects are all caught, relationships between Pattaya’s tourists and the transgender community can improve.
SOURCE: The Pattaya News | The Pattaya News
