PATTAYA — According to police reports, thieves stole cash and valuables belonging to Chinese and Indian tourists in two separate incidents on Wednesday night, using clever tricks to trick the victims into showing them their foreign currency before snatching it and fleeing.

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In the first incident, Du Yinuo, 21, and her boyfriend told Pattaya police that two light-skinned foreign men approached them around 9 p.m. and asked to see what Chinese currency looked like. One of the men left a wallet with the couple as a form of security while taking the couple’s bag. Later, the duo returned the bag and left. It was only after the suspects had departed that the Chinese couple realized their cash, amounting to 1,000 yuan and 5,000 baht, along with a 2.5-gram gold ring, were missing from the bag.

Just over two hours later, at approximately 11:30 p.m., two Indian nationals came forward with a similar account. Vasudev Dubariya, 35, and Mehulkumar Dubariya, 34, told police that three men who appeared to be Indian approached them in front of a foreign-exchange kiosk. The trio asked to make a direct currency exchange, claiming they wanted to prepare for their upcoming trip home. When the victims showed that they had 900 US dollars in cash, the three men pretended to prepare for the exchange but suddenly snatched all the cash and fled the scene.

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Police are now reviewing closed-circuit television footage from the surrounding areas and have urged tourists to exercise caution when approached by strangers asking to see or exchange currency. Authorities also advised visitors to use official exchange counters rather than engaging in direct cash transactions with unknown individuals. No arrests have been reported so far, and investigations are ongoing.

-Thailand News (TN)