A Ukrainian woman who caused 350,000 baht worth of damage to a condominium unit she was renting in Phuket has been detained by police after skipping an appointment to meet with investigators.
The incident came to light when a woman posted a cautionary tale online about renting out her Phuket condo to foreigners through an agent. Upon inspecting the unit — after being informed by the tenant that she had vacated it and discarded the keys in the trash — the caretaker found it heavily damaged, with drawings and scribbles on the walls and ceiling.
On Saturday, immigration officers at Phuket Airport found the woman, identified only as Anastasiia, attempting to leave the country. She was informed of the charges and summoned to meet with investigators.
Pol Col Somsak Thongkliang, superintendent of the Wichit police station, sent a team to bring her in for questioning. Ms Anastasiia, 20, confessed to the charges in the evening. She reportedly said she was upset because her deposit had not been returned.
According to legal procedure, the case investigator had to file charges with the Phuket Provincial Court. However, since it was a holiday, Ms Anastasiia was asked to meet with investigators again on a working day. When she failed to appear, investigators asked the court to issue an arrest warrant.
Officers from the Wichit police station tracked the suspect to a luxury condominium in Phuket town and arrested her on Tuesday.
The prosecutor filed property damage charges with the Phuket Provincial Court, which ordered her detention due to her inability to post bail and a lack of relatives to secure her release.