Phuket duo swipes 600 euros from Belgian with a fake hug
Police yesterday, December 25, arrested a Thai woman and a transwoman for pretending to greet a Belgian man with a hug and stealing 600 euros in cash (approximately 21,000 baht) from him in the Patong area of Phuket.
The 58 year old Belgian victim filed a complaint with Patong Police Station officers at around 5am on December 22, reporting that he had lost his cash to Thai thieves while walking along Rat-Uthit 200 Pi Road in the Patong sub-district of Kathu district.
The Belgian man stated that the Thai woman and transwoman approached him and unexpectedly hugged him on the street, after which he discovered his cash was missing.
Officers reviewed security camera footage along the road and successfully tracked down both suspects at their residences. The 33 year old transwoman, whose name has not been disclosed, was found in possession of 0.9 grammes of crystal methamphetamine.
Another suspect, a 38 year old Thai woman, whose identity has also not been revealed, was arrested with methamphetamine tablets, commonly known as Yaba, in her possession.
The pair now face two charges:
- Section 336 of the Criminal Code: Committing theft, which carries a penalty of up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 10,000 baht.
- Section 162 of the Narcotics Control Act: Use of a Category 1 drug (methamphetamine), punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
This case highlights how an old trick continues to be effective, as several similar thefts have been reported previously. On December 22, a Russian man in Pattaya lost his gold necklace to two transwomen, one of whom hugged and kissed him before making off with the necklace.
In May, two Thai transwomen used the same tactic to steal a gold necklace worth approximately 60,000 baht from an Indian tourist. Similarly, another Thai transwoman stole a gold necklace from a Swiss man in Pattaya by hugging him around the neck and grabbing the necklace.
Foreign men should be cautious, as hugging is not a typical form of greeting in Thai culture, except when used by ones with ulterior motives.
