A Mongolian national is suspected of stealing an iPhone 17 from a barista in the Thonglor area, while also dining and dashing on a bill of 1,463 baht. The victim, 27 year old Parichat, reported the April 18 incident to a local help page on May 2, seeking public assistance.
Parichat recounted that the suspect, a male Asian customer with light skin, arrived at the restaurant in Thonglor at 12.20pm and behaved like any regular patron for nearly three hours. At 3.10pm, he approached her at the counter, saying he had forgotten his phone and asked to borrow hers to call a friend. Trusting him after the long visit, she lent him the device.
The man returned the phone after the first call, then asked to borrow it again when another call came in. He paced around the restaurant before slipping out the back door with the iPhone 17, leaving behind his unpaid bill.
Parichat then filed a report at Thonglor police station, submitting CCTV footage as evidence. Officers identified the suspect as a 40 year old Mongolian man with a history of theft across Bangkok. He had previously been arrested by immigration police and Huai Khwang police station on June 9 last year, and had overstayed his visa by over two years.
Parichat expressed frustration at the legal system’s failure to stop someone who had already been caught from reoffending, and questioned why his long-expired visa had not resulted in deportation.
Niran Kae-ngao, co-founder of the help page, called the case a serious public concern, saying the suspect appeared to have no fear of Thai law. He said he plans to coordinate with the Thonglor police superintendent to speed up the investigation. Niran also urged the immigration office to explain why a person with an expired visa and criminal record remains in the country, and called for the suspect’s deportation and blocklisting to prevent re-entry.
He also warned residents and business owners against lending valuables to strangers, even those who appear to be familiar customers, reported KhaoSod.
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