Banglamung —
A Thai man, suspected of being a motorbike thief, pretended to act mentally ill when he was arrested with the stolen vehicle by Banglamung police.
A video version of this story can be found here.
The arrest of 28-year-old Sittichai Chansa unfolded on November 6th in response to a complaint filed to Banglamung police by an unidentified victim on November 2nd. The victim informed the police that their red/white Honda Wave 125i motorbike was stolen from the B village in the Thung Krad area of Banglamung sub-district, Banglamung district, Chonburi province.
According to the Banglamung police, they began searching for Mr. Sittichai via CCTV footage and subsequently found that he had committed another crime at two gas stations in Sri Racha where he abruptly fled on a motorbike without paying after filling up three 30-liter gallon containers with gas worth 2,678.90 baht. The suspect was also found to have used the victim’s stolen motorbike to commit these acts.
On November 6th, Sittichai’s apprehension occurred when Banglamung police were finally able to track him down to a small wooden shelter in the Thung Sukhla sub-district of Sri Racha. He was found with the red/white Honda Wave 125i motorbike in question. However, despite being confronted with the evidence, Sittichai remained silent. According to the police, he also pretended to be mentally unstable, talking incomprehensibly and avoiding coherent conversation, in an attempt to evade arrest.
Nevertheless, Banglamung police stated that they had solid evidence against him and would proceed in accordance with the law. As of press time, the suspect remains in police custody and officers have since discovered he does not have a mental illness.