Home Invasion and Robbery of Brit-owned Apartment in Central Pattaya

[KittenKong]

Which building did this happen in anyway? It doesn't look very nice from the pictures.

[Bpuumike]

Nice diggs...liven large in Pattaya.

Digs? D*ckheads more like.

[timewilltell]

Having the passports I understand but why do people travel with foreign currency? You'll get a better exchange rate transferring it from the UK bank to your Thai bank than you will for exchanging cash. Am I missing something here?

you are missing that it's none of your or my business to understand why people travel with currency of any kind.

Nor is it any of your business that some other posters dont understand why some people carry cash, but this doesn't stop you from adding your comments and rightly so as this is a public forum.

What the victims did is indeed no-one's business but that doesn't make carrying large amounts of cash any the less stupid or inexplicable.

Had the victims had the wit to use a credit/debit card (and it is possible to do this without paying any commission or exchange-weighting fees) rather than carry cash they would be GBP2000 better off today. They may reflect on this but they probably wont, and of course that is no-one else's business either.

I find it astounding that people are amazed that they were carrying 2 grand which is about 100,000 baht. Maybe they were planning to buy something, maybe they brought to exchange with a friend here, maybe they were worried the banks would not be accessible over Xmas or came over on short notice and didn't have time to sort out the transfer at the bank.

How many times have you seen people at the bank withdrawing hundreds of thousands or even millions to pay for stuff. Ever bought gold with a credit card? Well even a modest bracelet would run to around 60k. It just isn't that money in the whole scheme of possibilities for what it might be needed for these days.

Fact is they were robbed and THAT is the crime which deserves the punishment

[DD13]

What is it with all the tourist that want to take loads of cash money to Thailand. Haven't they ever heard of banks and ATM cards/machines?

Unless the money is not legal of course (tax free), well then I also don't feel sorry for them.

Merry X-mas

Maybe they planned to take advantage of the "weaker" Baht...and then change it back when (if) the Baht strengthens.....to have some profit

or help pay for their holiday (quite sensible)

Sadly the "crook" may have had the same idea......

But more likely that he would exchange it for drugs etc.

Edited December 28, 2013 by DD13

[KittenKong]

I find it astounding that people are amazed that they were carrying 2 grand which is about 100,000 baht. Maybe they were planning to buy something, maybe they brought to exchange with a friend here, maybe they were worried the banks would not be accessible over Xmas or came over on short notice and didn't have time to sort out the transfer at the bank.

I long ago gave up being amazed by people's stupidity, and on the grand scale of stupidity in Pattaya losing 100KB is very small potatoes indeed. But regardless of why they had cash on them the fact remains that if it had been in the bank it would still be theirs today rather than in some thief's pocket.

So as far as I'm concerned it just makes them appear stupid. Especially for having a lot of cash in a building that looks like a bit of a dive and where the security apparently doesn't react to strange people going round knocking on many doors. But either way it's 100% their business and 100% their problem, and good luck to them in getting it back.

[suthansman]

One would have to assume the man that stole the bag knew the money was in the bag and knew they were coming to that apartment. There is clearly more going on here than has been reported.

My thoughts exactly, including the passports and other valuables that just happen to be conveniently in the bag also, plus how come the couple just let the man intrude into the apartment without even attempting to stop him? As there is no mention that the guy was armed or threatening the couple with a weapon.

The guy surely had to know the said bag contained valuables before hand because I am the sure the couple would not have just stood by while the guy searched the apartment.

Just doesn`t make sense and I bet even Sherlock Holmes would have been mystified on this one.

Maybe the robber was in the reception area of the condo unit (I appreciate it is not the same as a hotel reception area) and watching them.

Did they need to collect the keys - maybe had the place rented out.

Maybe fumbling in that particular bag for keys and identification and the perp spotted it.

Or, as you say, very fishy that the perp knew what bag to take.

I'd have fought back. 2 on 1 and they let the perp take the bag is also suspicious.

[MADEINHEAVEN]

Another method of thieves. Pattaya building MANAGER informed residents that his opinion of thefts often happened like this: Sometimes when female or male hookers left apts/condos after doing their service, while going to elevator/stairs the thief would turn door handles to see if any were unlocked. Security monitors on floors showed this to be occurring.

This 2000 pound theft story indicated a person also was going door to door checking locks.