BANGKOK – A Chilean man was arrested yesterday for stealing several tourists at Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi airport, also known unofficially as Bangkok Airport, according to local police.
Juan Carlos Yanez Miranda, 64, was apprehended under an arrest warrant at the Airport Rail Link exit as he was entering the airport late on Sunday afternoon, the Tourist Police Bureau said.
The Bangkok Post reports that the Chilean admitted to police that he stole from three Chinese tourists and a Thai national, making off with about 100,000 baht in total.
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Juan Carlos, who was on a tourist visa and claimed to be a gambling addict in need of money, picked the tourists in a group and snatched belongings left unattended by his victims.
Police also seized 39,000 baht in (Thai and U.S. currencies) in cash, and the passport and credit cards of a Chinese man from the Chilean national following multiple complaints tourists.
A court in central Thai province of Samut Prakan approved an arrest warrant for the Chilean national after viewing airport CCTV recordings.
Tourism police in the Southeast Asian country are stepping up surveillance following a surge in number of thefts reported at the airport recently.
