A phone accessory shop owner at Terminal 21 mall in Bangkok confronted a foreign customer, reported to be an Indian national, over a shop theft and demanded compensation of 20 times the value of the stolen item.
The incident took place at Case Study, a store located inside Terminal 21 shopping mall in Asok. The shop shared details and images of the Indian suspect on its official Facebook page on April 26, where the suspect’s face was visible.
According to the post, the Indian suspect and his friend entered the store and browsed several items before asking staff about alternative colour options for a phone case. After being told no other colours were available, they continued browsing.
As more customers entered the shop, staff became occupied and did not notice when the two men left. About an hour later, employees discovered that a portable fan was missing and reviewed CCTV footage.
The footage showed the suspect, wearing a blue shirt, taking the fan from a shelf and placing it elsewhere before looking around, including towards a security camera. He then picked up the fan and left the shop.
Staff reported the incident to the mall’s security team while the shop owner searched for the suspect. He later located the man inside the mall as he was about to leave and asked security guards to detain him.
The owner said the stolen fan was found in the suspect’s possession. The man denied theft, claiming he had informed staff he would take the item before leaving without payment.
Police were called to the scene, where the shop owner requested compensation equal to 20 times the product’s price. The fan was valued at 490 baht, resulting in a requested payment of 9,800 baht.
The suspect agreed to pay and initially asked to use a credit card, which was declined. He later paid the amount in full.
In a similar incident last May, an Indian thief robbed a currency exchange shop in Bangkok’s Bangrak district by threatening a member of staff with a gun. Before leaving, he was seen performing a wai, hoping the victim would forgive him.
The police later arrested the man at his place of residence and recovered 50,000 baht of the stolen money. The Indian suspect initially denied wrongdoing, claiming that the cash was his savings. However, he could not escape charges due to the clear CCTV evidence.
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