German man wanted for stealing 2,000 baht from Phuket spa

A foreign man, reportedly a German national, remains at large after stealing 2,000 baht in cash from a spa in Phuket yesterday, January 20.

The theft occurred at around 5pm at a spa located on Ranong Road in the Talat Nuea sub-district. The suspect arrived with two companions, but was seen in the CCTV footage committing the crime alone.

In the video, the foreign man was wearing a black shirt, red shorts, and a beige cap. He initially sat on a chair in front of the reception counter while using his mobile phone, appearing to wait casually.

When the spa receptionist escorted other customers to a treatment room, the suspect suddenly stood up and approached the counter. He slowly opened a drawer, removed two 1,000-baht banknotes, and quickly slipped the cash into his trouser pocket before returning to his seat.

Foreign thief steals from Phuket spa
Photo via Facebook/ เหยี่ยวข่าว ภูเก็ต Newshawk Phuket

When the receptionist came back, the drawer was still open, but she did not notice anything wrong. The suspect then engaged her in conversation, pretending to ask about the spa products displayed on the counter, apparently to divert attention from the theft.

The spa owner later shared the CCTV footage with the news Facebook page Newshawk Phuket to seek help identifying the suspect. According to a report by DailyNews, the man is believed to be a German national.

The spa already filed a police report and urged anyone with information about the suspect to contact 084-256-3965.

German man stole cash from Phuket spa
Photo via Facebook/ เหยี่ยวข่าว ภูเก็ต Newshawk Phuket

Around the same time, another theft was reported in Phuket when a foreign man was caught on CCTV stealing a motorcycle helmet from a car park. The suspect was seen checking his surroundings before taking the helmet and calmly walking away.

The incidents sparked frustration online, with some netizens saying they had previously lost motorcycle helmets to foreign thieves and reported the cases to police, but saw no progress, despite having clear CCTV evidence.

German thief in Phuket
Photo via Facebook/ เหยี่ยวข่าว ภูเก็ต Newshawk Phuket

Similar cases involving foreign suspects were reported in December last year, including a foreign woman caught stealing snus products from a shop in Krabi, and a foreign man who assaulted a Thai Bolt motorcycle taxi rider before stealing the victim’s motorbike.

No arrests or investigation updates have been publicly reported in either case.

Thaiger QUIZ
Phuket Spa Theft Quiz
Answer the quiz. Tap Next to go to the next question.
1/10
  1. 1. What nationality is the suspect in the spa theft?
  2. 2. What time did the theft at the spa occur?
  3. 3. What did the suspect steal from the spa?
  4. 4. What was the suspect wearing during the theft?
  5. 5. How did the suspect distract the receptionist during the theft?
  6. 6. What did the spa owner do after the theft?
  7. 7. What was the reaction of netizens regarding theft incidents in Phuket?
  8. 8. What type of item was stolen in another reported theft around the same time?
  9. 9. What did the suspect do after stealing the cash?
  10. 10. What action did the spa take after the theft?

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Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.