Pattaya police were able to arrest a gang of
suspected pickpockets after they pilfered money from John Wale whilst on a
baht bus.
Teerarak Suthathiwong
Pattaya police arrested a gang of suspected pickpockets who worked as a team
on a baht bus to separate an American man from his $5,000.
Transvestite Buncha Yosyingyong, 28, and three female alleged accomplices
Pinphit Khumsaeng, 28, Tuanjai Chotang, 30, and Cherry Detchlay, 23, were
apprehended in separate arrests July 19. A total of 150,000 baht was seized.
The arrests came after John Wale, 60, reported to police that he’d been
pickpocketed on a baht bus. Buncha was found a short-time later standing on
South Road.
Gangs of pickpockets frequently work Pattaya’s baht buses. Typically, the
scam involves several women, usually with large shopping bags, sitting close
to a victim, creating a distraction while one person - in this case the
transvestite - doing the actual wallet lift.
Police said Buncha had admitted to serial pickpocketings, passing off the
cash to the different women to prevent being caught.
