PATTAYA, Thailand – A 39-year-old man, was arrested by tourist police on December 12 for stealing a gold bracelet worth 200,000 baht from a tourist in Pattaya. The arrest was made in cooperation with local police, following a warrant issued by the Pattaya provincial court.
The theft occurred on December 3, when Mr. Kolal Avisake, a 40-year-old Indian national, filed a complaint that his gold bracelet was snatched by a woman in front of a marijuana shop on Walking Street, Pattaya. CCTV footage showed that the woman was actually Mr. Saranpat Bawornkijnukul, who was disguised as a female.
The police traced Saranpat to a condominium in Soi Khao Noi, in Nongprue, east Pattaya. The police raided the room and found Saranpat asleep. They seized a wig, a dress, and a pair of high heels as evidence. Saranpat confessed that he was the person seen on CCTV, but denied stealing the bracelet. He claimed that he only entered the shop to wake up the tourist and did not take anything from him.
However, the police found out that Saranpat had a previous arrest in 2017 for a similar theft case. They suspect that he may be involved in other unsolved cases of stealing from tourists in Pattaya. The police are interrogating Saranpat and examining the evidence to determine the extent of his involvement in the recent theft and whether he has any accomplices or witnesses.
