Mail thief caught – but only on video

PATONG: A manager at the Patong Post Office was caught recently stealing items from mail after five hidden cameras were installed in the building. However, after being carpeted by his boss, the manager was allowed to walk out of the Post Office and has not been seen since. Police are looking for him, but admit they have no idea where he is. Wirat Bunpetchkaew, the Patong Post Office chief, told the Gazette that before the cameras were put in place, there had been numerous complaints of mail going missing. Once installed, the cameras recorded Prawit Prateep Na Thalang, the Distribution Manager, sitting at his desk after work hours on February 3 and removing the contents from envelopes. The next day, when K. Wirat confronted him, Prawit denied stealing from the mail. Eventually, however, after being shown the video tapes, he confessed. Oddly, the police were not called immediately and Prawit simply walked out of the building, never to return. “I don’t think he has gone too far,” K. Wirat said. “He may be staying with relatives in Phuket.” He added that police, after being informed of the matter, had reported the case to the National Counter Corruption Commission. The footage of Prawit stealing from the mail also found its way to a number of national TV stations, which gave it wide play. “I can still guarantee that registered mail will not be lost,” K. Wirat stressed. “But please don’t put cash or valuables in the mail because we don’t know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.” Pol Maj Komdej Pohthong, Inspector of Kathu Police Station, said he had forwarded details of the case to the NCCC in Bangkok because a government official was involved. “Now he has escaped, and we have no idea where to find him,” Maj Komdet added. If caught, Prawit faces up to five years in jail.