Pattaya police arrested a 29-year-old Norwegian tourist last night for filing a bogus robbery report in hopes of pulling some cash out of his travel insurance.
Police said Johansen Anton told them that while he was strolling at Phra Tamnak Mountain on Wednesday, two Thai teens on a motorbike snatched his bag, which had all his belongings in it, before speeding away.
Police immediately investigated since the case is “damage to the reputation of Thai tourism.” They checked CCTV footage and questioned locals in the area, but found that no such incident took place.
As police were investigating, Anton, who accompanied the police to the scene, escaped. Police tracked him down yesterday, and he confessed that he made the story up to try to make a claim on his travel insurance.
Police charged the Norwegian for filing a false report, a crime punishable by a six-month jail term and/or a fine of THB1,000.
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