A MAN and a woman from Vietnam were arrested today (Jan. 15) on a charge of pickpocketing a Japanese man at Wat Phra Kaew together with two other accomplices who are still at large and using the stolen credit cards to buy almost 500,000 baht worth of goods, Matichon newspaper said.
Deputy chief of the Royal Palace Police Station Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poolsawat said the two Vietnamese suspects, Mr. Vo Van Dung and Miss Le Thi Ngoc Linh, had together with the other two gang member pickpocketed Mr. Shuji Takato on Dec. 30, 2023. They made off with three credit cards, 150,000 yen in cash and a Japanese driver’s licence.
They immediately used the stolen credit cards to purchase 459,670.42 baht worth of goods.
Surveillance camera footage shows the four suspects had then taken a taxi to Soi Petchburi 17, walked to the adjacent Soi Petchburi 19, and tried again to steal from another person but were unsuccessful.
They then took a taxi to Pracharat Bamphen road where they had some food then split up.
However yesterday the two arrested suspects were spotted when they came to a tourist attraction in the Thonburi area and were immediately arrested. Police searched both their rooms and at the one rented by Vo found a mobile credit card reader.
Arrest warrants were issued for the two suspects on a charge of jointly stealing at a temple with Le slapped with an additional overstay charge.
Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin said Vo has made 49 trips to Thailand and his current stay started on Jan. 10, 2024 when he crossed Ban Klong Luek immigration checkpoint at Sa Kaeo’s Aranyaprathet district on a 30-day tourist visa.
Le has made 23 trips here with her last arrival being at Suvarnabhumi Airport on Sept. 22, 2023 on a 30-day tourist visa and has overstayed once this was up.
He added that criminals are now using more modern methods to steal from their victims with the mobile credit card reader enabling them to immediately swipe and purchase goods after which they quickly leave the country but police too had adapted and were able to catch them.
CAPTIONS:
Top: Pol. Maj. Gen. Noppasin Poolsawat shows the portable credit card reader found in the room of one of two Vietnamese suspects.
Front Page: The two Vietnamese suspects at the police station today, Jan. 15, 2023. Both photo: Matichon
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