Police Arrest Female Pick Pocket Gang Following Robbery Of German Tourist

On Saturday a gang of female pick pockets, including a twelve-year-old girl, stole the wallet of a German tourist while riding in a baht taxi in South Pattaya. Prompt action by police led to the apprehension of the gang and the return of the victim's property intact.

Pattaya, November 19, 2010, [PDN]: On 18th December 2010, Police Lieutenant Colonel Krisakorn Thong-Inn , received a report that a tourist had been robbed in a baht bus in the area of the Chai Mongkol temple, South Pattaya.

A team of officers was dispatched to the scene where they found  Mr. Manfrad Bieber [63], a German national, anxiously awaiting their arrival. He said he was riding in a blue baht bus from his hotel on Pratumnak road to the VC Hotel in South Pattaya. The bus stopped and 6 women got on the bus. 3 of them sat opposite him and another two on either side.

They seemed to be friendly and chatted with him for a while until they all got off the bus opposite to the Chai Mongkol temple. He was the last one to leave the bus, and when he went to pay the driver he found his wallet was missing. Immediately suspecting that the group of women were responsible, he spotted them crossing the street and catching another bus, riding back in the opposite direction.

However, with the details of the suspects, the police put out a description on the radio and they were soon spotted by traffic police sitting in a baht bus near the entrance of Soi 6, Pattaya Second Road. 

The police stopped the bus and on searching the women found a black wallet containg 2070 baht and 200 Euro in cash together with some documents belonging to Mr. Bieber. The wallet was found in a bag belonging to a 14-year-old girl, Miss Sherry (Alias), who was dressed in a yellow shirt.

The other five women were identified as Miss Teunjai Sotung, [26], Miss Wanpen Sotung, [23], Miss Buathip Sotung, [20], Miss Pinpit Kumseang, [24] and Miss Gunya Chalermklin, [29]. They were all arrested and taken to the police station, where Miss Wanpen Sotung confessed that they were all members of the same family, and had been picking pockets for some time.

They used to work with a gang in Soi 7, Tepprasit Road, but after some disagreements they had split and established their own gang, calling themselves the “Sow Naklua Gang” [Na Klua Lady Gang], and operating mainly in the old Naklua Market area.

As for their latest victim Miss Wanpen explained that she was the one who sat next to Mr. Bieber and used her big white bag to cover her hand while picking his wallet. As they got off the bus she accidentally dropped the wallet on the bus floor, but Mr. Bieber didn’t notice. Miss Sherry, the young girl, then picked up the wallet and kept it in her pocket.

Lieutenant Colonel Krisakorn revealed that for some of the gang members, it was not the first time they had been arrested, and even though they had been caught many times they still never learned. He said there were three big gangs of pick pockets in Pattaya and previous police action had seen a reduction in their activity, and it had been quiet for some time, but now they were back in business again.

However, the police say they are confident that their network systems work well and that petty crimes in Pattaya should decrease very soon.

Source: http://www.pattayadailynews.com