Phuket police yesterday charged a 32-year-old Argentinian woman with providing false information after she was found to have filed a fake theft report on Monday.
The woman, named only as Juliana, 32, from Argentina, claimed to police that thieves robbed her at Surin Beach at 11:35pm on Monday.
After receiving the report, deputy chief of Cherng Talay Police Station Lt. Col. Sompong Junreung and Maj. Sanhawit Sanitwong inspected the incident scene.
Maj. Sanhawit said, “Juliana filed a report where she stated three thieves on two motorbikes robbed her of her bag then escaped down Surin Beach.
“She reported that there was a Lenovo laptop worth THB30,000, an Olympus camera worth THB22,500, a watch worth THB9,000, sunglasses worth THB9,000 and between THB4,000-B5,000 in cash inside the bag.
“The total value of all the assets was THB75,500,” Maj. Sanhawi explained.
“When questioned, Juilana acted suspiciously and refused to provide officers with further information.
“When officers checked CCTV it was discovered that Juliana walked out of her hotel without any bag. She only had a phone. She then walked back to the hotel and informed reception that she had been robbed. She asked hotel staff to help her report the incident to police,” he said.
Officers invited Juliana for further questioning and she finally admitted that she filed a false theft report and that all her assets were actually at a friend’s house in Hong Kong, Maj. Sanhawit added.
Lt. Col. Sompong said, “Juliana’s behaviour can damage Phuket’s tourism and safety reputation.
She was charged at 9:30am yesterday with providing false information and she will face a judge at Phuket Provincial Court.”
“We know tourists make insurance claims for theft as they receive payment for the stolen items. However, this tourist got greedy. Tourists don’t like this kind of behavior and I won’t let tourists get away with filing false theft reports.
“Our actions in this case should be an example to others who try to do the same,” Lt. Col. Sompong added.
Should she be found guilty under Section 172 of the Criminal Code – providing false information concerning a criminal offense which may cause injury to the other person or the public — is punishable by imprisonment not exceeding two years or fines not exceeding THB4,000, or both.
Story: The Phuket News
