ROI ET: A couple left a bag containing 1.3 million baht cash in their car for a couple of hours while they had a meal nearby, and returned to find the money gone.
Police were called to a food shop on Thaewapiban Road in Muang district on Thursday night. They found Uraiporn Amnuay, 32, and her husband waiting beside a white Fortuner with Bangkok licence plates.
The couple told police a black bag containing 1.3 million baht has been stolen from the car, Thai media reported on Friday.
Police examined the vehicle and found no trace of forced entry.
A tearful Ms Uraiporn told the officers she and her husband worked in Bangkok and had driven to Roi Et to give the money to her mother-in-law to buy a block of land.
They had withdrawn the money and had it inside their vehicle because they had an appointment to meet the seller at the Suwannaphum land office on Friday morning, when they were to pay for the land.
Having driven from Bangkok, they felt hungry and decided to stop to eat at a roadside food shop. They parked in front of the shop and went inside, leaving the bag, covered with a blanket and pillow, inside the vehicle.
After having a meal and resting for about two hours, they returned to their vehicle. Upon opening the door, she was shocked to discover the bag was still there, but the 1.3 million baht was missing. There were just a few coins.
Police suspect the couple had forgotten to lock the car doors when going to eat. The vehicle was being tested for fingerprints.
