A Thai transwoman and her boyfriend have been arrested for stealing a safe containing cash and valuable gold from a house in the Isaan province of Loei. The theft occurred on January 19, with the suspects identified as Saruta, a transwoman, and her boyfriend Wissanu.
The homeowner reported the crime to Phu Ruea Police Station around 11:23 AM, after discovering that a 50-kilogramme safe had been stolen from their property. The safe contained nearly 400,000 baht worth of gold, 200,000 baht in cash, and a firearm. Surveillance footage captured the couple fleeing the scene in a pickup truck, heading from Loei to northern Thailand.
Police quickly set up checkpoints and managed to stop the suspects near Rong Kwang Hospital in the northern province of Phrae. A search of Saruta’s bag revealed 75,940 baht in cash and several gold accessories belonging to the victim. Saruta confessed to stealing the safe and breaking it open using a wooden stick to retrieve the valuables.
Saruta explained that she had significant debts and had been aware of the homeowner’s wealth, as the victim often provided loans and earned substantial interest from debtors. Taking advantage of the situation, Saruta decided to steal the safe while the homeowner was in the backyard and then called her boyfriend to pick her up. After stealing the cash and gold, they discarded the safe in a river near Phu Ruea Airport.
The couple was attempting to flee Loei and hide at a relative’s home in Chiang Rai, but their plans were thwarted by the police. Saruta and Wissanu now face legal charges, with potential penalties under Section 334 of the Criminal Law for theft, which could include up to three years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to 60,000 baht.
In a related case, Thai police are investigating the theft of luxury watches worth over 100 million baht from the house of a Chinese businessman in Pattaya. The housekeeper is under suspicion, although the businessman insists that neither he nor his family were home during the incident.
