‘Sleeping’ policeman catches serial theft culprit
A thief who preyed on dozy, snoozing motorists has been caught in a cunning sting operation, writes Wassayos Ngamkham
Taking a nap on the side of the road following a long drive or after a bout of drinking is a good idea, but dozing off in the wrong place could leave drivers vulnerable to theft.
Three months ago, police received several complaints from drivers that their valuables, such as wallets and mobile phones, were stolen after they took a nap on Ratchaphruek, Vibhavadi Rangsit and Sirindhorn roads as well as on motorways.
According to the victims, someone had approached them while they were sleeping in their cars.
The strangers, they said, pretended to be worried about their safety.
They suspected these people stole their valuables as they discovered later their wallets and mobile phones had gone missing.
Police, who investigated the complaints, labelled the gangs the “Gang Nu Lab”, or sleeping mouse gangs.
Pol Col Arun Wicharasrisukanya, chief of the Crime Suppression Division (CSD)’s subdivision 2, took his team to inspect the risk-prone areas but they were not successful in catching the perpetrators.
He then asked Pol Lt Col Narit Pukjit, inspector of the subdivision, to act as a decoy to trap the gang.
The inspector pretended to be asleep in his car at several places to attract the thieves’ attention. Last month, he got what he wanted.
One night in December, the inspector, pretending to be asleep on a road along a rail line close to Wat Samian Nari in Chatuchak District, was woken up by someone knocking on the car window.
Suspecting the stranger had ill-intent, Pol Lt Col Narit opened the car door and used his handgun to force the suspect down.
The officer pulled out the suspect’s wallet to check his name on his identification card. However, the suspect managed to slip out of the officer’s grasp and fled into the dark.
Although the suspect was able to flee, the officer was able to keep his ID card, which identified him as Thawat Thongchai, 29.
Police tracked the suspect down and discovered he was a taxi driver. But when they showed up at his house, he had already given them the slip.
Police learned Mr Thawat’s mobile phone was still active and he was regularly using the Line application.
Pol Lt Col Pattanapong Sripinproh, deputy chief of the subdivision, decided to pose as a woman on a Line account that sought to befriend the suspect on the app.
The relationship between the fake woman and the suspect grew day by day until she asked to meet the suspect at Kasetsart University last Thursday.
That day, Mr Thawat drove his orange taxi to the meeting spot next to a sports complex.
Instead of meeting a beautiful woman, however, he came face-to-face with a troupe of officers who approached and arrested him behind the wheel.
Mr Thawat was taken for questioning and brought to his house, where officers found an array of evidence, including mobile phones, ATM cards and bank accounts.
The suspect said there were three or four gangs who had committed similar offences, according to Pol Col Arun.
Police said Mr Thawat admitted he preyed upon victims in deserted areas and targeted those who had fallen asleep in their cars.
He would knock on the car window and ask his victims whether they were okay.
For those who were sleepy or failed to get up, he would take valuables from their vehicles, Mr Thawat told police.
Pol Col Arun called on people who needed to sleep while on the road to pull into a petrol station or by police booths for their safety.
This would ensure they would not fall prey to thieves.