Sattahip-
An elderly sugar cane vendor who let what he thought was a potential customer borrow his phone to make a call has sufferered multiple injuries after the potential customer stole his phone and tried to drive off on his motorbike, leading the seller to grab onto the back in a desperate plea to get his phone back.
The vendor, 63 year old Chaiyapat Warawan, who has a fresh sugar cane stall on Sukhimwit 23 near the Birds Nest Hotel, said a young Thai man about 20 years old pulled up to his stall on a grey and black Honda Wave 100 at about 10:00 AM on Saturday, February 15 and said he wanted to purchase some sugar cane.
However, the young man said he needed to make a call to figure out how much his mother needed and asked to borrow a phone.
Mr. Warawan lent his phone to the man who then attempted to speed off on his motorbike. However, Mr. Warawan grabbed onto the back of the motorbike and was dragged for over twenty meters down the road, yelling for his phone back. The thief threw Mr. Warawan’s phone on the side of the road and sped off. Mr. Warawan let go once his phone was thrown into the grass.
The entire incident was caught on CCTV.
Sattahip police, led by Lt. Col. Suphan Chai Harn, said that they have identified the suspect and are working toward an arrest as of yesterday afternoon.
Mr. Warawan is recovering from his injuries but is happy to have got his phone back and said he would do it again in a heartbeat, regardless of his age.
