Dishonest Bangkok taxi driver kept the millions - but pays only a 1,000 baht fine

[webfact]

Dishonest Bangkok taxi driver kept the millions - but pays only a 1,000 baht fine

 

Caption: Dishonest taxi driver

 

A dishonest Bangkok cabby who kept millions of baht in US dollars that he found on his back seat has only been fined 1,000 baht for not accepting a passenger. 

 

When the money was returned it was found to be 35,000 baht short.

 

A group of Chinese people who lost the money have decided not to press charges.  

 

Sanook related the story that came from a hotel employee at the Twin Towers Hotel on Rong Muang Road.

 

Two Chinese people left the hotel and were carrying a dull plastic bag containing 90,000 US dollars that was within a 7/Eleven plastic bag. The money was for a condo purchase. 

 

Picture: Sanook

 

They got in an Orange cab but the driver refused to take them saying he would not be in time to return his cab to the rental company. They exited the cab and left the money - worth 2,800,000 in baht - on the back seat. It happened on Tuesday of last week.

 

Hotel CCTV was inconclusive and did not show the licence plate of the taxi. 

 

Pathumwan district were contacted and their CCTV led to a taxi but it turned out to be the wrong one. 

 

JS100 radio station joined in the investigation and discovered that the taxi had the plate ทห (thor hor) 7445 (Bangkok). The Department of Land Transport got involved and found out that the driver was a man called Worapong.

 

Worapong admitted that he had picked up two Chinese people but couldn't take them to their destination as he didn't have time before returning his cab. He said that at the next intersection he picked up three women two of whom sat in the back and one in the front. He took them to Pin Klao. 

 

He didn't notice what any of the passengers were holding, he claimed. 

 

JS100 now stepped up the search by contacting the rental company. As it was a "Taxi OK" cab it had internal CCTV through this proved unclear.

 

On Saturday the Pathumwan police were contacted. 

 

Their further investigations - with more internal CCTV footage from the cab - concluded that Worapong had gone to his house with the plastic bag for 49 minutes before taking the taxi back to the rental company. He didn't tell the garage that he had found anything. 

 

Police went to the driver's house in Soi Kamnanmaen 16 near the rental company and found it had been clear out. 

 

The search for the driver was now well and truly on. He was found outside a local convenience store and admitted he had found the bag and decided to move house. 

 

The money was traced to his brother in Ratchaburi and Ban Kha police in that city made a report and received the money.

 

By dawn the next day the money was back in the hands of the Pathumwan police who wanted to clear up all suspicion before it was returned to the Chinese couple. At least one of them was now in hospital. 

 

On Tuesday the bag was finally claimed by the Chinese. Six people turned up to meet Pol Lt Chindanai Wilaiwan who was in charge of the case. They said they had invested 15,000 US dollars each in a "beauty project" the main point of which was to purchase a condominium in Pattaya. It all seemed above board.

 

By this time the bag was found to contain 88,900 US dollars making it 1,100 dollars or about 35,000 baht short of what was originally lost. 

 

The Chinese said they did not want to press charges over the missing money and asked for swindling charges against the taxi driver to be withdrawn. 

 

Instead the taxi driver Worapong was fined 1,000 baht for refusing passengers. 

 

Source: Sanook

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-06-20

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[colinneil]

WHAT  a dishonest Bangkok taxi driver !!! I do not believe it, they are all honest law abiding upstanding citizens.

 

News flash..... Bangkok taxi driver drove for hundreds of ks to return a wallet containing 100 baht to a very grateful tourist.????

[thaikahuna]

I'll bet he and the boys will be on a bender for a week or two...

[lemonjelly]

Walking around BKK with 90,000 USD in a 7-11 bag, don’t want to press charges... dodgy 

[BobBKK]

"Thainess" farang no understand the 35,000 was tip. 

[PatOngo]

I'm curious how the Chinese got 90,000USD in cash into Thailand???

[BestB]

Not too sure on full legalities but can chinese take $90000 in cash from china ? And did they declare it bringing it to Thailand ?

 

also I thought payment for condo

must be by bank transfer showing wheee money came from not by cash in foreign currency . 

 

All of the above does not excuse the taxi driver but might explain Chinese reluctance on pressing charges or wanting $1100 back 

[SammyT]

$90,000 USD in a plastic bag for a condo purchase that was insignificant enough to the group of Chinese that they could feasibly leave it behind? I'm picking that money is dirtier than the pole of a Pattaya gogo bar...

Edited June 20, 2019 by SammyT

[cornishcarlos]

15 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

I'm curious how the Chinese got 90,000USD in cash into Thailand???

 

59 minutes ago, webfact said:

Six people turned up to meet Pol Lt Chindanai Wilaiwan who was in charge of the case. They said they had invested 15,000 US dollars each in a "beauty project" the main point of which was to purchase a condominium in Pattaya.

 

Reading the article properly will clear up that question, you're welcome ????

[BestB]

3 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

 

Reading the article properly will clear up that question, you're welcome ????

Not really, unless you can somehow connect beauty project to purchasing a condo.

 

 

[stillhereandlovinit]

39 minutes ago, BestB said:

 

 

also I thought payment for condo

must be by bank transfer showing wheee money came from not by cash in foreign currency . 

 

 

I bought in pounds sterling when i bought our home, no questions asked. The old owners wanted currency as they were moving back to the UK.

[Youlike]

Soon the members in pattaya will all have chinese neighbours and the best thing is they will be shared among 6 owners....

[cornishcarlos]

38 minutes ago, BestB said:

Not really, unless you can somehow connect beauty project to purchasing a condo.

 

 

 

They bought in 15k USD each.. I think that's below the declaring threshold 

[spidermike007]

I have carried large sums of cash in the past. But, I always used a shoulder bag, and the money was always attached to my body. I cannot imagine the risk, of carrying this amount of money in a plastic bag. Why be so reckless with hard earned money. And to leave it in a taxi? On the seat? What kind of mindlessness is required, to do something so careless? 

 

We are talking about a taxi driver who might make 1,000 baht a day, after busting his butt with Bangkok traffic all day. I understand the willingness to blame him. But, there is no need to create that level of temptation to begin with. Right?  They should be very thankful they got back most of the money! And be more careful next time!

[BestB]

36 minutes ago, stillhereandlovinit said:

I bought in pounds sterling when i bought our home, no questions asked. The old owners wanted currency as they were moving back to the UK.

How long ago was that? I believe regulators have been changed, or one must at least show money coming into the country 

[BestB]

23 minutes ago, cornishcarlos said:

 

They bought in 15k USD each.. I think that's below the declaring threshold 

It is but still does not connect beauty project to buying a condo 

 

not to mention. Just because 6 showed up does not actually mean each one brought $15000 or brought anything at all????

Edited June 20, 2019 by BestB

[soalbundy]

1 hour ago, lemonjelly said:

Walking around BKK with 90,000 USD in a 7-11 bag, don’t want to press charges... dodgy 

you don't want to know where that money came from officer

[stillhereandlovinit]

20 minutes ago, BestB said:

How long ago was that? I believe regulators have been changed, or one must at least show money coming into the country 

January 2015, so the rules may have changed or being enforced now, but I had no problems at all.

[watcharacters]

 

 

54 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

Why be so reckless with hard earned money. 

.

Maybe the money wasn't hard earned.

 

 

[tlandtday]

Possibly more questionable money from China and now real estate here is a short term atm for many hiding money often made illegitimately.

[moe666]

For starters how do we know the driver stole the money, the bag went thru the hands of a few people before the very careless Chinese got there money back minus 35,000b. Maybe that was a pay off to police for doing such a bang up job getting there money back. Not verything adds up in this story, beauty project, condo, money in a 7/11 bag. To many cops with there mitts on the bag.

[cornishcarlos]

2 hours ago, BestB said:

Not really, unless you can somehow connect beauty project to purchasing a condo.

 

 

 

Beauty project has nothing to do with my reply, to a member asking "how the Chinese bought 90K cash into Thailand" it just happens to be in the same sentence that I quoted..

So 6 people bringing in 15k cash each is nothing unusual, some posters are trying to make out that it must be illegal cash or something !!

"invested 15,000 US dollars each" x 6 equals 90k... 

 

Edited June 20, 2019 by cornishcarlos

[Henrik Andersen]

2 hours ago, PatOngo said:

I'm curious how the Chinese got 90,000USD in cash into Thailand???

You spot on how they got it into Thailand 

And why walk with so much money in a plastic bag??? 

Stupid people with money.... 

[monkeycu]

3 hours ago, colinneil said:

WHAT  a dishonest Bangkok taxi driver !!! I do not believe it, they are all honest law abiding upstanding citizens.

 

News flash..... Bangkok taxi driver drove for hundreds of ks to return a wallet containing 100 baht to a very grateful tourist.????

And pigs fly 

[monkeycu]

37 minutes ago, watcharacters said:

 

 

.

Maybe the money wasn't hard earned.

 

 

They won the money playing bridge in Pattaya 

[ThomasThBKK]

1 hour ago, BestB said:

How long ago was that? I believe regulators have been changed, or one must at least show money coming into the country 

There's no such thing that allows cash purchases, you are right on the correct way to buy a condo in  foreigner quota.

 

I would guess most of all these condos sold to chinese are in some <deleted> up company structures to avoid certain laws and no chinese really controls his condo and many will be in shock sooner or later, but a bunch of thais will own many condos more...

 

 

https://www.sinoblawg.com/the-ways-of-moving-money-out-of-china-by-individuals/

 

They are allowed to carry only 5k usd in cash out, so now you know why they didnt press charges.

 

The 4 chinese are needed because u can bring only a certain amount INTO thailand without declaring and they just asked random other chinese to help them out with the police bs story

 

 

Quote

2) Overseas Investment

Actually, this is not a good idea of taking money out. Chinese citizens cannot invest in foreign countries in their individual capacity, but can only invest by incorporating a company in China first and use that corporate vehicle to invest. However, such official way of making overseas investments is heavily subject to governmental scrutiny on what business you are going to invest in the foreign country and how much money you can invest. To many Chinese people that want to purchase foreign stock or purchase foreign real estate properties, this route is not possible.

 

Guess this explains why they don't do it correctly -.-

 

 

 

 

Quote

For Chinese citizens, it is theoretically illegal for them to move money out of the country to buy property. However, judging from the crowds at the Luxury Property Showcase, an international property fair that tours Chinese cities, you would hardly know.

https://www.ft.com/content/5dca923a-1895-11e8-9c33-02f893d608c2

Edited June 20, 2019 by ThomasThBKK

[Mavideol]

2 hours ago, PatOngo said:

I'm curious how the Chinese got 90,000USD in cash into Thailand???

money laundering has many shapes and forms....we westerners get scrutinized for anything we carry, we are labeled as NOT good tourists, Chinese on the other hand they are not scrutinized and are labeled as good tourists

[brucegoniners]

They're lucky they got anything back.

[essox essox]

4 hours ago, colinneil said:

WHAT  a dishonest Bangkok taxi driver !!! I do not believe it, they are all honest law abiding upstanding citizens.

 

News flash..... Bangkok taxi driver drove for hundreds of ks to return a wallet containing 100 baht to a very grateful tourist.????

great retort....

[30la]

If you find an honest taxi driver ... please introduce me!