Police have arrested 15 Vietnamese pickpockets they say preyed on visitors to Bangkok's major tourist venues.
Pol Maj Gen Surachate Hakparn, deputy chief of the Tourist Police Bureau, said on Friday the suspects were highly skilled at their work.
They were active at major tourist destinations including the Grand Palace, Sanam Luang, Maharat Pier, Platinum shopping centre, Pratunam area and Siam Paragon shopping centre.
They were arrested at a Din Deang flat in Din Daeng district. Some of them had been here before and been arrested and deported, and had changed their names so they could return, he said.
Some used false passports and overstayed visas. One of them had been in Thailand illegally for 30 years.
The roundup followed the arrest of two Vietnamese, aged 52 and 34 years, last week. The eldest was the gang leader, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.
The Vietnamese pickpockets stole in a well-trained and well-organised manner. One member hid a razor blade in his mouth, another distracted victims. Stolen valuable were passed to other members who concealed them. Each victim lost at least 10,000 baht, and the stolen valuables were taken to Vietnam for resale, Pol Maj Gen Surachate said.
Immigration police would register the pickpockets' biometric data before they are expelled, in order to prevent their re-entry, he said.
