Brazen youths caught after bag snatch in front of Phuket police
PHUKET: Three teenagers were arrested minutes after they snatched a bag from a Chinese tourist right in front of four Phuket police officers in a patrol pickup truck on Saturday night.
“The officers watched as the young men on a motorbike with no license plate approached the woman, Wang Ying, while she was walking by the side of the road with five friends near Phuket FantaSea,” Kamala Police duty officer Somnerk Dumkew told the Phuket Gazette
“The boys [sic] stole her bag, but then noticed the police pickup behind them and sped off towards Patong,” Capt Somnerk said.
The officers gave chase and caught up with the youths about 700 meters down the road, where they had stopped to throw the bag into the bushes beside the road, Capt Somnerk explained.
The bag, containing about 15,00 baht worth of Thai baht, Chinese yuan and Hong Kong dollars, was recovered and returned to Ms Wang.
The three suspects – Sutthinan Pathan and Chalermpong Nernsung, both 19, and a 14-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons – were each charged with “bag snatching by use of motorbike”, a specific charge particular to Thailand.
“They are now being held in custody at Phuket Provincial Court. It is up to the court whether or not to allow them to be released on bail,” Capt Somnerk explained.
— Atchaa Khamlo
