Chinese Pickpocket Arrested in Bangkok

A 59-year-old Chinese national has been arrested by Bangkok police after allegedly stealing a South Korean tourist’s wallet at Wat Pho and using the victim’s credit cards to make unauthorised purchases.

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Police from Phra Ratchawang Police Station arrested Mr. Xiangliang Kong, 59, under an arrest warrant on charges of theft at a public place of worship and unlawful use of another person’s electronic payment card in a manner likely to cause damage to the cardholder or the public.

The arrest was carried out under the direction of Pol. Col. Phawat Watthanasuphat, superintendent of Phra Ratchawang Police Station, with investigators led by Pol. Lt. Col. Paisan Dechkanya. Officers detained the suspect outside a hotel in Soi Inthamara 45, Bangkok.

Police said the case began on 5 July 2026 at about 1.30pm when a South Korean tourist reported that a wallet had been stolen while visiting Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram, commonly known as Wat Pho. The victim told officers the suspect later used the stolen credit cards and attempted to make further purchases at various shops, causing financial losses.

Investigators reviewed CCTV footage from the temple area and identified the suspect’s movements. The evidence was submitted to investigators, who obtained an arrest warrant before officers tracked the suspect to the hotel.

According to police, when officers first confronted the suspect and presented the warrant, he denied being the person shown in the CCTV footage. After investigators showed him the surveillance images, he reportedly insisted the individual in the footage was “older” than he was, but police proceeded with the arrest.

Officers later searched the suspect’s hotel room and seized 21 items as evidence. These included the clothing allegedly worn during the offence and a black Tommy Hilfiger backpack, plus a Samsung A16 and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 mobile phones, a black Montblanc wallet, a brown Delvaux wallet, and cash in several currencies.

The cash recovered included 29,860 baht, three Malaysian 100-ringgit notes, three Vietnamese 2,000-dong notes, two Vietnamese 1,000-dong notes, one Japanese 2,000-yen note, two Australian 50-dollar notes, two Indian 20-rupee notes, and one South Korean 1,000-won note.

Khaosod reported that the suspect and all seized items were handed over to investigators at Phra Ratchawang Police Station for further legal proceedings. Police said the case will now continue through the criminal justice process.

Picture courtesy of Thaitabloid

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12 July 2026