A Thai man lost 58,000 baht to a group of foreign suspects outside a bank in the city centre of Phuket last night, May 4, after reportedly showing cash to a foreign woman.
The victim shared details of the incident with the Phuket Times Facebook page. He said he had arrived at the bank at around 6pm to withdraw cash and left the premises at approximately 10pm after completing his transaction.
While walking down the stairs outside the bank, he noticed four foreigners sitting in a parked car. A foreign woman, believed to be from the Middle East, approached him and initiated a conversation.
According to the victim, the woman asked to exchange foreign currency and requested to see Thai banknotes. When he took cash from his bag, the woman noticed stacks of banknotes in his possession.
The foreign woman allegedly projected her hand into his back and grabbed the cash stacks. She continued the conversation while inspecting the cash and pretended to display excitement.
The man said he did not notice anything unusual at the time. However, after returning home, he discovered that 58,000 baht was missing from the cash he had withdrawn.
He returned to the scene and reported the incident to police. Officers attended the bank to collect evidence and said they would review CCTV footage to identify the suspect. As of now, police have not released further updates on the case.
This incident follows similar reports in tourist areas, such as Pattaya. Last month, a Chinese tourist in Pattaya lost cash and a gold ring after showing money to two foreign men during a conversation.
In November last year, another Chinese tourist and a Russian couple also reported theft after displaying cash to foreign suspects in Pattaya.
In a similar incident, a man from the United Arab Emirates had around 14,500 baht stolen by a pickpocket in Pattaya. CCTV footage showed the suspect approaching the victim, striking up a conversation and then secretly putting his hand into the victim’s trouser pocket to steal the cash.
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