A 22-year-old woman has been arrested for collaborating with four Chinese accomplices to steal credit cards from customers at an onsen spa in central Bangkok.
The woman, identified as Ms Thanchanok (surname withheld), was apprehended on Tuesday night at a condominium in Bangkok's Watthana district.
She faces charges of nighttime theft and unauthorised use of credit cards under a warrant issued by the Bangkok South Criminal Court.
The investigation began after a victim discovered fraudulent transactions totalling 343,000 baht across three credit cards that occurred during a visit to the spa.
The victim had securely stored her belongings, including the cards, in a locker accessed via a wristband provided by the spa.
Police said the suspect, who works as a nightlife promoter, along with her accomplices, including four Chinese nationals, created counterfeit wristbands to access lockers and steal credit cards for unauthorised transactions.
Further investigations uncovered that the group had targeted multiple victims, leading authorities to expand their probe.
Meanwhile, another victim reported fraudulent credit card charges exceeding 104,000 baht after visiting another onsen spa in the Sathon district on Nov 30 of last year.
The victim's card was used to make payments to a car dealership in Maha Sarakham province.
Japanese victims have also reported being pickpocketed at various locations in Bangkok's city centre, with stolen credit cards used for transactions at the same car dealership in Maha Sarakham. It is unclear what will happen to Ms Thanchanok's alleged accomplices.