Thai woman arrested for stealing 120,000 baht from Russian man in Pattaya
Police arrested a Thai woman for stealing 120,000 baht in cash and a mobile phone from a Russian victim in Pattaya on January 8. She confessed to spending most of the money on a holiday trip with her family.
The 37 year old Russian man, Xavier, filed a complaint with officers at Bang Lamung Police Station on January 8, reporting that his black bag was stolen outside a convenience store in Soi Na Kluea 8, in the Bang Lamung district of Pattaya.
The bag contained 120,000 baht in cash, his mobile phone, and personal documents. Xavier admitted that he and his friends had been drinking alcohol at a table outside the store, and when they returned to their accommodation, he realised he had left his bag on the table.
Police reviewed the security footage and observed a suspicious Thai woman and her daughter move from another table to sit at the victim’s table after he and his friends had left. The woman then took Xavier’s bag and quickly placed it in her plastic bag. The two then rushed to board a baht bus and left the scene.
The woman was identified as a local from Samut Prakan province near Bangkok, rather than Pattaya. She and her family returned to their home province on the same day.
As her identity was clearly visible in the video, police traced her whereabouts and arrested her on January 23. The woman admitted to the theft and claimed that she had used the stolen money to pay her car instalment and fund the holiday trip to the beach with her family.
The suspect was charged under Section 335 of the Criminal Law for committing theft at night. The penalty is imprisonment of one to five years and a fine ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 baht.
In a related incident reported in December, an app-based motorcycle taxi rider was arrested for stealing 15,000 baht in cash from a Russian passenger in Bangkok. The thief tricked the Russian woman into leaving her backpack with him while travelling, secretly taking her cash.
Also in December, a Russian man lost his gold necklace to two Thai transwomen in Pattaya. One of the transgender suspects hugged and kissed him before secretly removing the necklace.
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