PATTAYA, Thailand – On November 7, at around 8 p.m., a man who had taken a gold necklace from a jewelry shop returned the item after seeing his image spread widely on social media. The incident began earlier that day when Ms. Bussarin Sirimongkonsap, 27, a food vendor, accidentally left her newly purchased gold necklace on the counter at a gold shop in Soi Siam Country Club, East Pattaya. Ten minutes after leaving, she realized she’d forgotten the necklace and returned to retrieve it, only to find it missing.
The gold necklace involved in the incident weighs 2 baht (approximately 8 grams) and is valued at 18,670 Baht. With an additional handicraft fee of 2,000 Baht, the total cost of the necklace amounted to 20,670 Baht.
Ms. Bussarin, who is two months pregnant, shared that the money she earns from selling curry rice is carefully saved and used to buy gold for her child’s future. She expressed deep sadness over the incident, as the gold necklace she had purchased was meant to be a savings for her unborn child. She has filed a police report at the Nongprue Police Station and hopes that the authorities will track down the thief and pursue legal action.
The store’s CCTV footage revealed a man casually placing the necklace in his pocket and walking out. Roughly four hours later, the gold shop received a call from the individual in the footage, who expressed a desire to return the necklace. The caller, identified as Mr. Thone Kolakanh, a 24-year-old Laotian, claimed he had mistakenly believed the necklace was a complimentary gift from the store. He explained that he had purchased a gold chain and a Buddha amulet and assumed the bag containing the necklace was an extra item from the shop.
After returning to his residence, Mr. Kolakanh was shocked to find his image widely shared online. He even received phone calls from friends of the same nationality, accusing him of theft. Realizing the item in his pocket was the necklace, not a gift, he discussed the situation with his girlfriend and immediately took the item back to the shop.
Ms. Bussarin, upon being informed, came to the shop and was overjoyed to recover her necklace, even shedding tears of relief. However, she expressed skepticism regarding Mr. Kolakanh’s explanation, questioning why he hadn’t noticed the mistake sooner. She pointed out that the CCTV footage suggested intentional behavior, as he was seen deliberately pocketing the item.
Police are now investigating the incident. Should Ms. Bussarin decide to press charges, the authorities will proceed with legal action against Mr. Kolakanh.
