A CCTV camera captured a taxi driver taking a lost wallet at a petrol station in Nonthaburi province, but refused to return the money to the victim, claiming he had already spent it on fuel.
The 40 year old Japanese interpreter filed a complaint against the taxi driver at Bang Bua Thong Police Station on Saturday, October 4, accusing him of stealing his wallet at a petrol station in Nonthaburi at around 3pm on September 24.
CCTV footage shows the victim riding his motorcycle out of the petrol station when he accidentally dropped his wallet on the ground. The taxi driver stopped his green-and-yellow cab where the wallet had fallen, opened his car door, and picked it up.
According to the victim, the wallet contained 2,080 baht in cash, several credit and debit cards, his ID card, and other important documents.
Police were able to identify the taxi driver and contacted him. He admitted to taking the wallet and agreed to return the cards and documents, but refused to return the cash. The driver claimed he spent 800 baht on refuelling and did not want to give back the rest of the money.
The victim said he tried to persuade the driver to return both the wallet and the cash, but the man remained adamant about keeping the money. The interpreter added that he even planned to offer a reward to anyone who found and returned his wallet, but the taxi driver’s actions deeply disappointed him.
The victim decided to pursue legal action against the driver to the full extent of the law, saying he hopes the case will serve as an example for others who find lost property.
The Superintendent of Bang Bua Thong Police Station, Phrut Jamroonsan, told Hone Krasae that the taxi driver’s actions violated Section 352 of the Criminal Law, embezzlement, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
In a similar incident in Phuket in May, a motorcycle taxi rider was caught stealing cash dropped on the road by a foreign couple in full view of bystanders. Despite being confronted by the victims, he refused to return the money.
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