Chinese thieves arrested after stealing £1,000 from British woman at airport
Two Chinese thieves were allegedly caught stealing cash from passengers at an airport - including £1,000 from a British woman.
Chen Dewei, 52, and his pal Tang JinShan, 40, targeted holidaymakers after they landed at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand.
The thefts emerged after Vietnamese traveller Nguyen Hoang Son reported to the airport police that his luggage and computer were stolen while he was waiting for departure on May 31.
Tourist police and immigration officers checked CCTV and found a middle-aged Chinese man acting like a tourist and pretending to be on the phone in the waiting area.
The thief was seen slowly walking closer to the victim, who was talking on their phone, before snatching his suitcase and his Macbook. They then left the airport.
Police arrested Dewei the next day at a guesthouse in Khao San Road, where he was staying with his friend Tang JinShan.
Officers then identified Tang from CCTV as a suspect who allegedly stole £1,000 from Leila Burridge, an English tourist at the airport on May 22.
Stolen luggage, computers, and foreign currency were found in the men’s room as well as the same clothes spotted in the CCTV.
Chen finally admitted stealing the belongings while his alleged partner-in-crime still denied all charges. Though police say they are both guilty and have detained them pending deportation proceedings.
Lieutenant General Thiraphon Kuptanont, the commander of Tourist Police Bureau, said that the pair were brought to the Immigration Division 3 of the Immigration Bureau while waiting for the investigators to collect more evidence on June 2.
The chief said: “We reported the case to the Immigration Bureau Consider for revoking their visas as they were considered a threat to the society.
“We’ll make sure that our tourist officials and airport securities will be more strict while they’re on duties.”
Police have asked the Immigration Bureau to revoke the visas of both Chen and Tang and proceed with their deportation.
