A Norwegian man has been arrested for allegedly filing a bogus police report to rip off his travel-insurance provider.
Anton Johansen, 29, was taken into custody Nov. 30 and 30,000 baht in expensive items including wireless headphones and name-brand sunglasses were seized.
A day earlier, Anton had gone to the Pattaya Police Station and filed a report that his belongings were stolen while he was at the Pratamnak viewpoint. He claimed that two men on a motorbike snatched his bag while he wasn’t paying attention.
After the report, police sent along investigators to search for the suspects and checked CCTV footage and questioned potential witnesses.
Seeing the active investigation, the Norwegian abruptly left the police station. Officers tracked him down and, under questioning, Johansen admitted he made up the story so he could file a claim with his travel insurance company, police said.
The belongings he claimed were stolen were found hidden in his hotel room.
He was charged with filing a false police report.
