UAE tourist loses 14,500 baht to foreign pickpockets in Pattaya
A tourist from the United Arab Emirates lost around 14,500 baht in cash after being pickpocketed by two foreign men in Pattaya yesterday, January 14.
The victim, 45 year old Mohamed Abdelkaliq Abdalla Khadim Almaazmi, filed a complaint with Mueang Pattaya Police Station at around 7am on Tuesday, January 13, after realising that cash had gone missing from his trouser pocket.
According to Almaazmi, he believed he was targeted when a foreign stranger approached and greeted him in an alley near the Marine Plaza Hotel in southern Pattaya. At the time, he was standing by the roadside with a woman and focused on the conversation, unaware that a theft was taking place.
Police reviewed CCTV footage from the area and identified two foreign suspects. One was wearing a black T-shirt while the other wore a blue T-shirt. The pair arrived at the scene together on a motorcycle.
In the footage, the man in the black shirt is seen approaching Almaazmi, greeting him warmly and briefly embracing him. During the interaction, the suspect discreetly slipped his hand into the victim’s trouser pocket and removed cash.
The suspect then placed the money into his own shorts pocket, continued talking casually for a moment, and walked away as if nothing had happened.
Investigators said the second suspect remained nearby on the motorcycle, apparently acting as a lookout. Both men then sped away from the scene shortly afterwards.
Police issued a warning to the public, particularly foreign tourists, to remain alert when approached by strangers, especially in nightlife areas and quiet alleys.
Officers urged anyone who may have fallen victim to the same suspects, or who has information that could help identify them, to report it immediately to prevent further crimes.
A similar pickpocketing case was reported in Bangkok last month, when three women believed to be Thai nationals were caught on CCTV stealing from a foreign woman’s tote bag outside a restaurant on Songwat Road near Chinatown. As of now, police have not provided an update on arrests in that case.
