Police are holding
alleged con artist Leon Rico while numerous claims against him are being
investigated.
Boonlua Chatree
An accused Singaporean con artist arrested for
snatching the purse of young Thai woman may have had several other
victims, police said.
Leon Rico, 23, was apprehended Aug. 5 at a Walking
Street beer bar following a complaint from 20-year-old Nonglak Saenjak
that the Singaporean had pretended to be a millionaire’s son, then
stolen 7,000 baht and her iPhone while she was inside a Family Mart.
Searching Rico, police found 75,000 baht in a pants
pocket. The suspect said the money was his and had been sent to him by
his brother in Singapore. Skeptical police, however, think the cash was
flash money to dupe women into thinking he was rich and that the woman
he was talking to at the time of arrest may have become his next victim.
According to Nonglak, Rico had picked her up at a
Walking Street bar, wined and dined her and, when she ran inside the
convenience store, she left her purse in his car and he drove away. The
victim spotted him the next night and called police.
Investigators said several young women have reported
similar stories and are holding the Singaporean until their claims are
investigated.
