Nighttime revelers warned about taxi thieves
POLICE warned nighttime revelers to not travel alone in a taxi when drunk as they have just arrested a cabbie who confessed to robbing 3 well-heeled passengers who were badly boozed up, INN News reported today (August 17, 2018).
Pol Lt-Col Chaowarit Ngernchalad, deputy head for investigation at Wangthonglang station, said his team of detectives tracked down this taxi driver after his third victim, Mr Nathawong Wongchalermthan, filed a report on July 21 this year that he had been robbed the previous night.
Nattawong said he had hailed the cab outside an entertainment center in Thonglor area when very drunk that night and told the driver to take him to his Town in Town estate home and fell off to sleep.
When he woke up again, the taxi driver was pushing him out of his cab in front of Ton Sung restaurant, and there he hailed another cab to take home. By then he realized that he had been robbed off his iPhone X mobile phone worth 35,000 baht and a diamond ring worth 80,000 baht, but because he was still very drunk he waited till the next afternoon before filing a report with the police.
Pol Lt-Col Chaowarit said the police team was able to track down the cabbie through security camera footage at the Thonglor pub, the place in front of an office where he had parked to rob the victim and finally the restaurant where he had dumped him.
After getting the licence plate number they contacted the Taxi Association which helped identify the suspect.
The cabbie confessed that he robbed Nathawong, and while he had sold his mobile phone, he did return his diamond ring.
The cabbie also told police that he had previously robbed 2 other revelers in Thonglor area in the same manner and got a Rolex and a Panerai watch together worth 600,000 baht.
Pol Lt-Col Chaowarit urged revelers to travel in cabs with another person when drunk because there is a risk of being robbed, and if a fight ensued when this was taking place, it could even lead to death. Those who have been robbed in a similar manner are advised to contact the police station in the area where the theft occurred.
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Top: A still from a security camera clip showing the cab in which the victim was robbed. Photo: INN News
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