Police arrested a technician yesterday, April 20, for stealing valuables worth more than 500,000 baht from a guest’s room at a hotel in Najomtien subdistrict, Sattahip district, Chon Buri.
The victim, 42 year old Laddawan, checked into the hotel at around 2pm on Sunday, April 19. She left her belongings in the room, including a waist bag containing gold items and 116,000 baht in cash.
The bag held several valuables, including a Buddhist amulet in a gold frame worth more than 220,000 baht, a gold necklace valued at 37,000 baht, two gold bracelets worth 37,000 baht and 73,800 baht respectively, and a gold ring valued at 37,000 baht. Lottery tickets she had recently purchased were also inside.
The following day, April 20, she discovered the bag was missing and reported the incident to hotel staff. Staff informed her that a technician had sneaked into her room while she was away.
According to staff, the technician, identified as 35 year old Mack, had requested permission to use the hotel’s master keycard, which grants access to all rooms, claiming he had left equipment inside the room.
Police later questioned Mack, who confessed to the theft. Officers recovered the stolen items from his accommodation.
Mack was detained at Na Jomtien Police Station and charged with theft at night. Under Section 335 of the Criminal Law, the offence carries a penalty of one to five years’ imprisonment and a fine ranging from 20,000 to 100,000 baht.
In a similar case in Phuket, a hotel security supervisor attempted to enter a female DJ’s room using a master keycard. The woman managed to secure the door with an internal latch after noticing the attempt.
Police arrested the suspect after CCTV footage showed the incident. He was later released on 50,000 baht bail, and the court ordered him to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet during his probation period.
Police have not disclosed the motive in the Phuket case, including whether the suspect intended theft or another offence.
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