A bus driver and several passengers aided police in the arrest of a Cambodian man who pickpocketed a British woman on a bus in Bang Phlad district, police said on Wednesday.
Passengers surrounded Nga Pan, 23, to prevent him from escaping after he stole Rebecca Maria's purse, said Suchart Sirikien, the bus driver.
He said he immediately parked the bus near a police booth and asked the officers there to assist, and the thief was arrest.
The robber confessed that it was his second time he had committed this type of crime. He told the police that he and his Cambodian friends formed a pickpocketing gang after he lost his job. Foreigners were their main target, he added.
The victim was a teacher and he had trailed her since she left the school that day, said Mr Pan. He followed her on to the bus and stole her purse, but he was spotted by another passenger who informed the bus driver.
Ms Rebecaa said she was in Thailand for three months and the incident terrified her. However, she was really thankful and impressed by the kindness of the people on the bus.
The man was taken into custody and charged with robbery and illegally entering the country, and Ms Rebecca's purse returned to her, police said.