PATHUM THANI, Thailand — Police have arrested a man accused of repeatedly stealing women’s underwear from a self-service laundrette in Pathum Thani, a series of incidents that had raised safety concerns among female university students in the area.
The arrest was announced on January 27 by Police Colonel Phatchachai Phamonphiboon, superintendent of Pak Khlong Rangsit Police Station, along with investigators from the station’s crime suppression unit.
The suspect, identified only as Suwattana, 30, was taken into custody along with a white Honda motorcycle registered in Sakon Nakhon province.
According to police, the investigation revealed at least two similar thefts in Lak Hok subdistrict, Mueang district. The first incident was reported on October 26 last year, when five women’s bras were stolen. A second theft occurred on January 11 this year, involving another five bras taken from the same area.
Officers reviewed CCTV footage from the laundrette, which helped identify both the suspect’s appearance and his motorcycle. Further investigation led police to a nearby dormitory, where they conducted surveillance and arrested Suwattana when he later exited the building.
During questioning, police said Suwattana confessed to the thefts, admitting he deliberately targeted laundrettes at night. He allegedly told investigators that he stole women’s underwear to satisfy sexual urges and discarded the items afterward. He also admitted committing the offenses twice.
The most recent victim, a 21-year-old third-year university student, said she went to do laundry in the early hours of January 21. When she returned to collect her clothes, she discovered that all of her underwear was missing. Concerned for her personal safety, she decided to file a police report.
The student said she was initially surprised by the arrest, believing the case to be minor, but expressed relief and gratitude to officers for taking students’ concerns seriously.
Police have charged the suspect with theft committed at night and are proceeding with legal action in accordance with standard procedures.
In a related development, reports of a late-night underwear thief caught on CCTV in Sri Racha, Chon Buri, have also left residents unsettled, prompting calls for swift police action.
