YouTube ‘actor’ claims million-baht theft, doesn’t return to ID thieves

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Noppadol Moonkam, Boonleang Chaichid, and Anurak Thongsuk were charged with stealing a bag dropped on Walking Street.
Noppadol Moonkam, Boonleang Chaichid, and Anurak Thongsuk were charged with stealing a bag dropped on Walking Street.

Two motorcycle taxi drivers and a transvestite were charged with stealing a bag dropped on Walking Street by a YouTube personality that supposedly contained more than a million baht in cash, jewelry and electronics he never came back to collect.

Taxi drivers Noppadol Moon­kam, 52, and Boonleang Chaichid, 46, along with Anurak Thongsuk, 29, took the rap for “theft after dark” after scooping up some property belonging to Vincent Chan, who makes and acts in short videos on YouTube and also claims to be a martial arts choreographer in Hong Kong.

Police aren’t putting much stock in the YouTuber’s claims, however.

Chan went to police after getting in a fight with a ladyboy on Walking Street. During the fracas, he dropped his backpack. He said the bag contained 120,000 baht, HK$5,000 (20,600 baht), a Rolex watch worth 520,000 baht, a diamond bracelet worth 400,000 baht, and 3 mobile phones.

Pattaya, Chonburi and Tourist police said they recovered only 4,000 baht, a single Apple iPhone X, the bracelet and his passport. Then they tried to contact Chan and asked him to come down and identify the property and the bandits. He didn’t show nor did he answer messages.

Noppadol copped to taking the bag and 4,000 baht, which he said was all that was inside. He tossed the bag aside, he said.

He said he didn’t conspire in the crime with Boonleang, who works from the same taxi stand. Boonleang said he took the bracelet, but found it on the ground alone and wasn’t even sure if it had real diamonds or not.

Police are skeptical that a Rolex was ever in the bag, nor the multiple phones or the amount of cash claimed, especially since Chan never showed any interest in coming back to discuss the theft report.