Phuket Expat Suffers 180,000 Baht Dive Tank Theft

[Lite Beer]

Phuket expat suffers 180,000 baht dive tank theft

Armin Rudloff files his report at Chalong Police Station. Photo: Atchaa Khamlo

PHUKET: Following a tip-off from a cook, an expat dive instructor and equipment provider in Rawai believes a Thai employee may have stolen 30 oxygen tanks worth 180,000 baht.

German national Armin Rudloff, 43, filed a report at Chalong police station yesterday morning.

He told police that earlier yesterday he had discovered the tanks missing from an equipment storage room located near the Ao Sa-ne Bungalow at Ao Sa-ne ('Charming Bay'), near Nai Harn beach.

The 12 liter tanks cost 6,000 baht a piece, he added.

Citing an eye witness account, Mr Rudloff suspects his employee, 52 year old Narong ‘Lek’ Saeong, as the culprit.

“A restaurant cook [next door to the storage room] says she saw Lek take the tanks last Thursday, one by one, on a motorbike.

"But she didn’t suspect anything as she thought I had asked him to do that,” Mr Rudloff told the Phuket Gazette at the police station.

After talking to the cook, the victim says he located Lek nearby and confronted him.

“When I asked him whether he stole my tanks, he denied it. He was speaking to me with shaking hands and voice. Then he got on my motorbike and drove away with it,” he said.

“The motorbike is a rental which I was planning to buy soon,” he explained.

“Lek has worked for me for two years, so I trusted him,” he added.

Mr Rudloff said his business, Freelance Associate Phuket Company, has been operating since 2000. He has lived in Phuket since 1999.

His company office is on Viset Road in Rawai.

He said he was renting out the diving tanks for 150 baht each per day.

“I will lose about 30,000 baht a month if I don’t get my diving tanks back,” he said.

There may be some hope for that as most of the tanks have identifying numbers on them, the victim noted.

Chalong police duty officer Tanan Petnarong told the Gazette that he would coordinate with Phuket City police to locate Mr Lek, whose ID Card address is in Phuket Town.

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-05-29

[ScubaBuddha]

Probably sitting in a Pattaya dive shop by now owned by a dive shop owner that can't believe what a deal he got.

Edited May 29, 2011 by ScubaBuddha

[stevenl]

Lol, losing 30.000 baht per month? He'd wish.

[bino]

Lol, losing 30.000 baht per month? He'd wish.

Why?

20 tanks at 150 per day is 3000 per day. 10 days rented out of a month would be 30,000. Doesn't sound unrealistic to me.

[stevenl]

Lol, losing 30.000 baht per month? He'd wish.

Why?

20 tanks at 150 per day is 3000 per day. 10 days rented out of a month would be 30,000. Doesn't sound unrealistic to me.

This time of year? Totally unrealistic. I'm willing to bet that even at the busiest time of year he does not even rent out 7 tanks a day at 150 baht each. This time year? If he is lucky 5 per month.

[thaibutty]

I agree with Steven, Ao Sane is not your regular dive destination. There are hardly 20 tourists at that beach, let alone 20 divers.