So...the Wife Just Got Robbed.

[TAWP]

Just got msg over irc from home and then a call from the wife informing me that she had been robbed of her purse. Or more accurately, had her bag snatched from her hands. So I just spent time making calls to block some things while she did the same from her end on the home-phone. (AIS seems to prefer to pick up only if one calls from an AIS number...go figure.)

Short re-cap of what happened, close to Pahayothin Rd 47:

She is walking towards the bus-stop when out of the corner of her eye she see some shadow come up to her fast, the person grabs her purse with both hands, run in-front of her and jump onto a waiting motorbike that takes off.

Loss was thankfully minimal, low amount of cash, old handbag, medium range cellphone, bank-cards, photos, good pen and one of our sons toys. So her statement was only 'good I wasn't stabbed'. have to have a positive outlook I guess.

So now I have to teach her how to walk defensively. I always have very careful track of the contents of my pocket and briefcase and (knock on wood) I think that has helped me even when drunk in a club etc.

So who-ever said the bag-snatch is on a rise, it seems to be accurate.

And the police reply when she went there before going home was 'oh, again...' and proceed to take notes...

Be careful out there.

Edited December 25, 2009 by TAWP

[just_another_guy]

I'm sorry your wife had to deal with such a semi-stressful event like being robbed. Thank goodness she wasn't physically hurt.

I too have to agree that there is a steady increase in crime over the last several years in the tourist areas of this lovely country.

Before all you business owners suggest I go home if I don't like it here--that isn't the point.

The point is petty crime is a heII of a lot higher in the tourist areas than it was 7 years ago.

I am not a rocket scientist but in my opinion there is a direct link between some Thais favorite drug (yaa baa) and the petty crime increase in the tourist areas.

As we all have been told a million times....don't carry expensive items around nor more than enough cash to get you by for the day/night.

Be careful out there folks...it ain't Kansas.

[TAWP]

I should perhaps point out that my wife is Thai, so this was a Thai-on-Thai crime. 3rd bag-snatch that happened to any friends or family in a few months. Before that, years without it happening...

[cognos]

I knew your wife was Thai. God bless. signed: good guesser

[GungaDin]

Glad to read that your wife wasn't harmed.

Bastards!

I have to agree with jag's post, Thailand has changed.

After being burgled a few months back, I hid a quantity of USD in the house.

Now I can't remember where I hid it.

(I now have more locks & padlocks than the Tower of London)

[mca]

Glad to hear your wife's OK TAWP. One of my wife's staff got a smack in the mouth when the same thing happened to her.

Edited December 25, 2009 by mca

[phetaroi]

After being burgled a few months back, I hid a quantity of USD in the house.

Now I can't remember where I hid it.

This made me laugh. I sort of did this once. I was a young teacher working in the Washington suburbs. We didn't get out pay spread out of the year, so in July and August, no paycheck. By mid-August I was down to just about nothing and knew that with 2 weeks left before the first paycheck I would simply have to stay home 24/7 just to make ends meet. So, I decided with all that time on my hands to thoroughly clean the apartment. I was in the walk-in closet (no comments, please), picked up an item, and there was $500 I had forgotten all about. I felt relieved...but dumb.

[jaiyenyen]

Pleased to hear your wife wasn't harmed Tawp. My wife has also been robbed recently. In fact it happened twice in three weeks. Once, while she waited for a bus at Victory Monument, and once at the market in Saphan Mai. Both times her purse was 'lifted' from her bag. When she spoke to the people at the banks in Saphan Mai, they confirmed that it happens a lot now.

Hard to consider Saphan Mai a tourist area. Thieves aren't too fussy when it comes to easy cash. I'd happily see some rough justice handed out to these scum.

[chippmunk]

no offense but one has to be really careless to be robbed at victory monument. THERS SO MANY FREAKIN PEOPLE AROUND! IT COULD BE YOUR WIFE NEEDS to learn to be more alert.

thief prey on the feeble.

once it is just haaenstance but 2nd time in 2 weeks, ill bet itll happen 3r d time.

[GungaDin]

no offense but one has to be really careless to be robbed at victory monument. THERS SO MANY FREAKIN PEOPLE AROUND! IT COULD BE YOUR WIFE NEEDS to learn to be more alert.

thief prey on the feeble.

once it is just haaenstance but 2nd time in 2 weeks, ill bet itll happen 3r d time.

Just joined today........ yeah, right! and already criticising members.

Good start, pal, you'll get on!

You haven't a clue about the circumstances of the grab at Vic Mon.

I doubt that you are a NEW member.

[way2muchcoffee]

no offense but one has to be really careless to be robbed at victory monument. THERS SO MANY FREAKIN PEOPLE AROUND! IT COULD BE YOUR WIFE NEEDS to learn to be more alert.

thief prey on the feeble.

once it is just haaenstance but 2nd time in 2 weeks, ill bet itll happen 3r d time.

With a ridiculous comment like that it could be you need to get your head out of your arse. Blame the victim, yada, yada, yada....

Sympathies to the wife. It's good she wasn't injured.

[chippmunk]

whats there to knoe?

her wallet got lifted out of her purse, twiICe, she is a careless thai girl.

[JUDAS]

Read the title and my first thought was about the older Scottish lady recently who ended up dead from her injuries after a similar incident. Thankfully your wife was unhurt TAWP, possessions can be replaced. Would be nice to see them arrested and convicted but probably not much chance of catching them.

[givenall]

Remember what Murphy says, given enough time everything goes down the crapper.

As population grows, Crime rate will group all over the world. Especial in bad economic times you will see increase in petty crimes

[neverdie]

I should perhaps point out that my wife is Thai, so this was a Thai-on-Thai crime. 3rd bag-snatch that happened to any friends or family in a few months. Before that, years without it happening...

Sorry to hear about this happening to your wife TAWP. I am glad she was unhurt, rotten baaastards, they will get theirs.

A thai friend of ours owns a couple of condo blocks and at the start of the month she collected all the rent as she does every month. Towards the end of the day before the bank closed, she got on her motorcycle and rode into town to deposit 160,000 baht. She made it to town and parked the motorcyle and walked to the bank depositing the funds without incident. After leaving the bank she went back to the motorcycle and rode off, she turned into a side street and another motorcycle with two thai guys on it came racing alongside her and they grabbed her handbag straps (it was on her shoulder) and yanked the handbag from her, causing her to lose control of the bike and crash into a ditch. They decamped with the handbag and she got up and dusted herself off and rode home. Inside the handbag was just a purse, a bank book and a bit of makeup and thats about it.

She feels as if she must have been targetted by the theives and most likely followed from the bank, they probably thought she had just made a withdrawal, verses a deposit, lucky for her. I told her she was a stupid woman for riding to the bank with her funds hanging off her shoulder, to which she replied shes been doing that for years.

Seems like people everywhere these days should examine how they go about their daily activities to best protect themselves.

[sanook2me]

OP... its only cash and stuff that can be replaced...glad she wasn't hurt.....

Its a wake up call to everyone who thinks this place is safe..you still need to be careful out there..

As for banks i cannot understand how they still count wads of cash in those electronic counting machines in full view of everyone...

Recently my farang mate had to make a withdrawal of £2,000 in Thai baht...and they counted that out in front of everyone but bizarrely there was a Thai guy next to us who was withdrawing double that as i counted his 1000 bhats bundles.

[kumkoot]

no offense but one has to be really careless to be robbed at victory monument. THERS SO MANY FREAKIN PEOPLE AROUND! IT COULD BE YOUR WIFE NEEDS to learn to be more alert.

thief prey on the feeble.

once it is just haaenstance but 2nd time in 2 weeks, ill bet itll happen 3r d time.

With a ridiculous comment like that it could be you need to get your head out of your arse. Blame the victim, yada, yada, yada....

Sympathies to the wife. It's good she wasn't injured.

it really is hard to be pickpocketed. not hard closing her bag, perps would then have difficulty open bag and then lifting puse.

picpocketers are not known an geniuses ya know!

[PattayaParent]

I am not a rocket scientist but in my opinion there is a direct link between some Thais favorite drug (yaa baa) and the petty crime increase in the tourist areas.

Yeah, the standard excuse of the Western governments for their failure to control poverty and rising crime.

"It must have been a drug addict"

I can see why you're not a rocket scientist.

[geriatrickid]

I am not a rocket scientist but in my opinion there is a direct link between some Thais favorite drug (yaa baa) and the petty crime increase in the tourist areas.

Yeah, the standard excuse of the Western governments for their failure to control poverty and rising crime.

"It must have been a drug addict"

I can see why you're not a rocket scientist.

I don't think he said it quite the way you have interpreted it. The fact of the matter is that yaba use is on the rise and it is causing a lot of young desperate addicts to do stupid things. Drug use is up because the young population is disenfranchised due to societal barriers and lack of economic opportunity.

Is that a better comment? Because at the end of the day it's the same thing: wasted lives, injured people and lots of pain and misery to share.

[Beardog]

Glad to read that your wife wasn't harmed.

Bastards!

I have to agree with jag's post, Thailand has changed.

After being burgled a few months back, I hid a quantity of USD in the house.

Now I can't remember where I hid it.

(I now have more locks & padlocks than the Tower of London)

Sorry to hear you got nailed. Lazy bastards would rather steal than work. It would be nice for the industry that makes bags for transporting money from banks to use that nice blue red or green ink that doesn't wear off for 3 months if not properly opened . Easy to spot a smurf lurking around.

Edited December 26, 2009 by Beardog

[Scott]

Keep a close eye on your wife and try to be very supportive. Events like this can have a psychological effect on people that lasts a long time.

I am sincerely happy she wasn't physically harmed and hope there is no lasting affect.

(Gungadin: I have a maid who can find your money. Only way the silly cow would do any work is if I told her I lost 200 baht and can't find it. Then she would turn the house upside down looking for it!)

[GungaDin]

(Gungadin: I have a maid who can find your money. Only way the silly cow would do any work is if I told her I lost 200 baht and can't find it. Then she would turn the house upside down looking for it!)

Great! You're on.

Phone number of maid?

[jaiyenyen]

Thank's for your comments chipmunk. When would you like to come round to our house and tell my wife she's "Feeble". I could probably sell tickets

Kumkoot.....I've got news for you, it's not hard to be pickpocketed.

[GungaDin]

Thank's for your comments chipmunk. When would you like to come round to our house and tell my wife she's "Feeble". I could probably sell tickets

Kumkoot.....I've got news for you, it's not hard to be pickpocketed.

chippmunk = Kumkoot

Same-same

Check the grammar, literacy, style & timing......

[mahtin]

Sympathies, TAWP. Hope your wife has recovered fully.

I will warn mine.

[neverdie]

(Gungadin: I have a maid who can find your money. Only way the silly cow would do any work is if I told her I lost 200 baht and can't find it. Then she would turn the house upside down looking for it!)

Great! You're on.

Phone number of maid?

GD, I did that years ago, it was $500 Aussie dollars & didnt find it for years, however when I did find it I was having a real bad week & by gee that brightened things up

[TAWP]

Small update:

The wife was informed by the bank where the two ATM cards had been used (and taken by the machine), first they tried one Chaewattana road and then the other one at a gas station on Songprapa road Don Muang.

So today she went to the gas station and asked to see the surveillance footage. While the image wasn't perfectly clear she deemed it good enough to be usable. However for the gas station to release the tape to her they wanted a copy of the police report so she will get that from the station tomorrow and get back to get a copy of the tape. (Yes, this is slightly different from back home where only the Police 'can' usually do this. However, since the police don't do much investigations regarding these crimes...).

So if you are victims of a crime, carry out your own investigation and help the police with evidence, they might never do it...

[Patsycat]

Good. the bastards had to push their bike home!!