BANGKOK, Thailand – Officers from the Phra Racha Wang Police Station arrested a 60-year-old Cambodian man named Chia for pickpocketing foreign tourists at Wat Pho (Wat Phra Chetuphon) on August 31. The arrest came after numerous reports from tourists about thefts occurring within the temple grounds.
The police reviewed CCTV footage from the times of the reported incidents and identified a man matching the suspect’s description. The suspect, Chia, who is fluent in Thai and literate, admitted to being an illegal immigrant who regularly crossed into Thailand through natural border routes in Aranyaprathet District, Sa Kaeo Province. However, he initially denied committing the thefts.
Despite his denial, the police presented evidence that led Chia to confess. He admitted to stealing tourists’ mobile phones, which he would then turn off and wrap in silver foil to prevent GPS tracking. The stolen phones were then sent via private courier services to the Aranyaprathet border, where accomplices would smuggle them into Cambodia for resale, fetching prices between 1,000 to 5,000 baht per device. (TNA)
