Brazen Phuket hotel thief nabbed at brunch: German national arrested after late-night theft. Phuket police swiftly apprehended 22-year-old Mohamed Yassine Zariouh, after he shamelessly stole ฿86,000 from a local hotel. The incident, captured on CCTV, showed Zariouh smiling at the cameras during the heist.
A German national is in custody in Patong, Phuket and facing jail time after shamelessly stealing ฿86,000 from a small hotel on the holiday island on Thursday morning. Police quickly identified him from the hotel’s CCTV cameras as the thief made no attempt to conceal his identity.
Phuket police on Friday arrested a 22-year-old German national following a brazen theft at a local hotel. At length, it was a swift result due to CCTV footage.
Previously, he found himself alone at the hotel counter in Patong in the early hours of Thursday morning.
At the same time, as well as helping himself to cash from a drawer at reception, the thief smiled at the cameras. At length, Mohamed Yassine Zariouh stole ฿86,000 in cash from the hotel.
Thief moved to another establishment in Patong where police caught up with him on Friday armed with a warrant for his arrest from Phuket Provincial Court
After that, he moved to an establishment in Patong. However, he was picked up later after police obtained an arrest warrant from Phuket Provincial Court.
The bold theft occurred after Mr Zariouh was seen stealthily approaching the hotel counter at 3 am on Thursday. Investigating police were left gobsmacked at the audacity of the thief.
After that, he opened the drawer, grabbed an envelope containing the cash, and walked leisurely away from the scene.
Fortunately, the entire incident was caught on the hotel’s closed-circuit television (CCTV). Meanwhile, Zariouh was seen in the footage glancing at the cameras and smiling before making his escape.
Arrested by a police officer while enjoying brunch at another establishment on Friday. Detained at the scene within 24 hours of the crime being reported
Patong Police, led by Police Lieutenant Colonel Suchart Chumphusaeng were swift in reacting to the report. Later, their efforts resulted in Mr Zariouh’s arrest at the other venue .
In brief, he was enjoying a leisurely brunch when politely approached by arresting officers. He was found scrolling his smartphone. They produced the arrest warrant and detained him at the scene.
In short, it was just one day after the crime was reported. The arrest warrant cited ‘theft at night committed through damaging an obstruction meant to protect people or property.’
The Noble House Hotel, where the theft occurred, had promptly filed a complaint with the Patong Police Station after the money was found missing. In turn, this sparked the police investigation leading to the CCTV breakthrough.
Further controversy unearthed over a motorbike returned late and damaged by the German passport holder. Police believe he used the money for this purpose
Police enquiries further revealed that Zariouh had rented a Yamaha NMax motorbike a week before the robbery.
Thereafter, he failed to return it the next day. Pissamai Yadav, the woman who rented the motorbike, reported it as missing to Patong Police. She explained to officers that later, she couldn’t reach Mr Zariouh.
Following this, Mr Zariouh claimed the motorbike was damaged in an accident. Evidently, he paid for the repairs on January 25 and left.
Police suspect the stolen money from the hotel was used to settle the repair costs. At length, it adds another layer to the unfolding investigation.
Mr Zariouh faces one to five years in prison
Zariouh is currently being held in police custody at Patong Police Station, awaiting legal proceedings.
Theft is still regarded as an extremely serious offence in Thailand. Indeed all crimes relating to property are. This is in contrast to prevailing trends in Western countries.
The fact that the suspect committed the offence at night is an aggravating factor. In conclusion, he faces one to five years imprisonment on conviction by the court in Phuket.
Join the Thai News forum, follow Thai Examiner on Facebook here
Receive all our stories as they come out on Telegram here
Follow Thai Examiner here
Further reading:
Dutch national identified from CCTV using police biometric system after Ko Tao theft and arrested
Wiley UK man gets off by meeting the Thai woman he stole from and offering a tearful apology
