PATTAYA, Thailand – A Thai doctor has issued a warning to airline passengers to be extra careful with valuables during flights after he nearly lost nearly 200,000 baht in cash on a short domestic trip.
The warning was shared online by Dr. Songwut Promtho, also known as “Mor Ta,” from The V-Sage Clinic, who said the incident happened during a one-hour domestic flight from Udon Thani to Bangkok.
According to the doctor, he placed his bag in the overhead luggage compartment as usual. During the flight, he noticed a Chinese passenger repeatedly getting up and walking to the restroom more frequently than normal.
When the plane landed, the same passenger quickly rushed off the aircraft in what the doctor described as unusual behavior. Feeling suspicious, Dr. Songwut immediately checked his belongings because he had been carrying a large amount of cash from his clinic to deposit into a bank account.
He soon realized the money was missing.
Believing the passenger’s behavior was suspicious, the doctor quickly alerted airport staff and rushed after the man. With assistance from officials, the suspect was stopped and detained.
The doctor said authorities later recovered the full amount of money. During a search, officers also reportedly found other foreign currency in the suspect’s possession, and another passenger on the same flight also reported a theft.
The suspect was handed over to police for further investigation.
Dr. Songwut shared the experience as a warning for airline passengers, advising travelers to remain alert and regularly check their belongings, especially when storing valuables in overhead compartments during flights.
