Pattaya, Thailand – March 25, 2025
A shocking incident unfolded in the early hours of March 24, 2025, when a 32-year-old man from Amnat Charoen province, under the influence of methamphetamine, stole a motorcycle from a dormitory in Chonburi, accidentally dragging his friend into the mess.
Police Lieutenant Thongthawat Pholalak, Deputy Inspector, received a report of a motorcycle theft at a dormitory located in Soi Khao Talo 4. Following the report, he led a team from the Special Prevention and Suppression Unit to investigate the scene.
Upon arrival, authorities reviewed CCTV footage from the dormitory, which clearly captured the suspect’s actions. The footage showed a Thai man exiting a third-floor room, casually walking down the stairs to the parking area, and tampering with something before wheeling away a blue Honda Wave 100 motorcycle. The suspect appeared unfazed as he rode off with the stolen vehicle.
Further investigation led police to the room where the suspect had emerged. The room’s occupant revealed that the thief was a friend who had visited earlier that day. Unknown to the occupant, the friend proceeded to steal the motorcycle from another resident in the dormitory. To apprehend the suspect, police devised a plan, instructing the room’s occupant to lure the friend back to the scene. In the early hours of March 25, 2025, the suspect returned, and police swiftly arrested him.
The suspect was identified as Mr. Orachun Napaphet, a 32-year-old scrap collector from Amnat Charoen province. During the arrest, he exhibited erratic behavior, mumbling incoherently, suggesting he was under the influence of drugs. Mr. Orachun confessed to the theft, admitting that he stole the motorcycle with the intention of modifying it into a sidecar vehicle for collecting scrap. He also admitted to using methamphetamine.
Police detained Mr. Orachun and conducted a search for the stolen motorcycle. He revealed that he had hidden it approximately two kilometers from the dormitory. However, when officers arrived at the location, they were stunned to find the vehicle already dismantled beyond recognition, its parts scattered and irreparable. The remains of the motorcycle were seized as evidence.
Mr. Orachun was subsequently taken into custody and handed over to investigators. He faces charges of theft and illegal possession and use of a Category 1 narcotic (methamphetamine) under Thai law.
Authorities later escorted Mr. Orachun to reenact the crime as part of the investigation process. During the reenactment, he came face-to-face with the motorcycle’s owner, offering an apology with a traditional “wai” gesture. The owner, visibly distraught and in tears upon seeing the destroyed state of their vehicle, urged police to pursue justice to the fullest extent of the law. The owner did not accept the apology and continued to press charges.
The dormitory owner, furious over the incident, expelled the suspect’s friend—the room’s occupant—from the premises, unwilling to tolerate the fallout from the crime. “I can’t accept what happened here,” the dormitory owner stated, expressing frustration over the situation.
Police have blurred the faces of victims and witnesses in media releases to protect their identities as the case proceeds through the legal system.
