Algerian held in Pattaya theft

Korean tourists point out the man (blue shirt) that they say stole a 60,000-baht Prada bag containing nearly 40,000 baht in cash and other valuables in Pattaya. (Photo by Chaiyot Pupattanapong)

PATTAYA: An Algerian man has been arrested on charges of stealing cash and valuables from a South Korean tourist at a restaurant in Pattaya.

Mouloud Sadat, 53, was apprehended with a stolen Prada bag, valued at 60,000 baht, a pair of sunglasses, and other items while he was walking along Pattaya-Na Klua Road on Friday night, said Pol Capt Apichai Krobphet, the Pattaya police chief.

Earlier, Lee Seung-chul, 44, a South Korean national, filed a complaint with police on Tuesday that his bag had been stolen while he was eating at a restaurant on Soi Na Klua 27 at around 7.30pm that day. He had placed the bag on the backrest of a chair. It contained about 20,000 baht and 650,000 won (about 18,900 baht) in cash, his sunglasses and credit cards.

Police examined closed-circuit television images which captured the suspect stealing the bag, said Pol Capt Apichai.

Officers said Mr Sadat told them he was in Thailand as a tourist and it was his first offrence. He insisted he was not aware of what he was doing at the time.

However, police were not convinced. The suspect was held in police custody on theft charges.