Japanese Tourist Allegedly Pickpocketed by Pattaya Transwomen, Loses Over 60,000 Baht

Pattaya —

A Japanese man, who was exploring Pattaya’s night scene with his friend, said he was pickpocketed of over 60,000 baht in cash by two transgender suspects in the late hours of Thursday, November 9th.

Mr. Toshiaki Shinohe, the victim, filed a complaint with Pol. Capt. Natchaphon Saengsi, Deputy Inspector of Investigation at the Pattaya Police Station, stating that he was pickpocketed while riding a Songthaew at around 11 PM in Soi Buakhao, Nongprue sub-district, Banglamung district, Chonburi province.

Mr. Toshiaki told the police that he is an engineer from Japan and had traveled to Pattaya for a vacation. Before the incident occurred, he and his friend took a Songthaew, a form of transportation in Thailand with two rows of seats in the back, and sat facing each other.

Along the way, Mr. Toshiaki recounted that two transgender women joined them and sat next to him. They then struck up a conversation to engage his interest.

When the two transgender women disembarked the vehicle, Mr. Toshiaki noticed that his wallet containing 40,000 Thai baht and about 23,000 baht worth of foreign currency (100,000 yen), as well as his ID card and ATM cards, had gone missing. The Japanese tourist suspected that the two transwomen may have reached into his pocket and stolen his wallet while talking with him. He further commented that he was saddened by the incident and promptly came to report the grievance to Pattaya police.

Pol. Capt. Natchaphon stated that police were reviewing CCTV footage to identify the culprits.

In May of 2023, two Indian tourists separately reported robbery incidents to the Pattaya police on the same night. One of them stated that he lost a gold necklace worth over 66,000 baht when a transgender person approached him and snatched it from his neck.

These incidents have had a negative impact on tourism, as noted by the Pattaya police. Despite recent crackdowns on transgender criminals, occasional thefts against tourists continue to occur.

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