Sukhumvit thief busted after hailing taxi as getaway car (VIDEO)

Thonglor police today arrested a middle-aged Thai man who allegedly burglarized a house on Sukhumvit Soi 35 last week — only to casually hail a cab and escape with a trunk filled with stolen goods. ≈

Salang Jangthong, 45, was apprehended on Ratchada Road today, following a theft on the night of June 3, in which CCTV shows the man stop his bicycle outside a house, wander in, then escape in a yellow cab he hailed, reported Matichon.

The cabbie, who allegedly misunderstood Salang to be the house’s owner, even got out of the vehicle to help the thief load a cardboard box of stolen goods into the trunk.

What about his bicycle you may ask? It was foldable, so he managed to fit it into the taxi before escaping.

Perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised, though, that he was so calm and collected. According to police, this thief is no rookie. In fact, they suspect that Salang may be responsible for up to 20 other Bangkok burglaries — most of which involved stealing and reselling electronics.

For his part, Salang allegedly told police that he jobless and addicted to meth, leaving burglary as the only way to sustain his dependency.

While you’d think he might be a bit of a mess, Salang clearly had his wits about him when it came to robbery, telling police that he always dressed in workout gear in order to pass himself off as “just another night-time biker” while scouting targets along Sukhumvit Road.

He also claimed that many houses, as well as construction sites, in the area had poor security, making it easier for him to break in.

He also admitted to selling stolen items to thrift stores in Klongtoey and second-hand electronic vendors in the Sathupradit neighborhood — with the help of a female accomplice Suwanee Chatpirom (who was also later detained).

He has been charged with nighttime theft, which is punishable by a jail term between one to five years and a fine of THB2,000 to THB10,000. If you’re wondering, yes, daytime theft is a separate crime that carries penalties of up to three years in prison and a fine up to THB6,000.