A taxi driver has been arrested for the theft of valuables worth 1.2 million baht, including an expensive Rolex, from a Japanese businessman who went to sleep in his cab after a night out in Bangkok.
The 45-year-old cabbie, identified only as Sirichai, was taken into custody from his room on Ekachai 40 Road in Bang Bon district about 11.10pm on Monday.
Police searched it and found some of the items reported stolen - an iPhone worth 40,000 baht and a MacBook computer worth 60,000 baht.
Police said a 40-year-old Japanese businessman, identified only as Nammo, reported the theft about 2.30am last Thursday at Thong Lor station. He said his property was stolen after he fell asleep in a pink taxi on his way back to his room on Sukhumvit Road after a night out in the Asok area.
His missing valuables included a Rolex wristwatch worth about 1 million baht, a credit card, an iPhone and a MacBook.
His 43-year-old Thai girlfriend, Jamnian, told police that about noon on Monday the Japanese man received text messages from a bank informing him his credit card was used twice in Bang Khunthian district on Monday morning.
Police tracked down the cabbie and his pink and white taxi, which was parked near his room.
The Japanese victim said he arrived in Thailand early this month on holiday and planned to return to Japan on June 19. The theft of his property had cast a shadow over his trip and caused him a lot of stress.
The suspect admitted to the theft and told police that he pawned the Rolex for 25,000 baht. Police said he had a prior record - drug abuse in 2012 and drug possession in 2015 in Bangkok.