The thief was caught while charging his phone at the mall entrance, unaware that plainclothes police were closing in. PATTAYA, Thailand – A 37-year-old Thai man has been arrested by Sattahip police for a brutal snatch-and-run incident at a Pattaya shopping mall that left a Myanmar woman injured. The suspect, caught on CCTV dragging the victim across the floor to steal her bag, confessed he needed money to gamble online and buy drugs. The incident occurred on the evening of May 27, when the suspect forcefully snatched the victim’s shoulder bag containing 9,000 baht in cash and a mobile phone in Soi Bon Kai, Sattahip. Determined police investigators worked through the night to track him down, finally arresting him inside the same mall while he was charging his phone and playing online slot games. The suspect, identified as Apichart, told police he had reached a desperate point in life and chose to target a woman, assuming she wouldn’t fight back. After selling the stolen phone for just 150 baht, he used the money for gambling and drugs, and even gave some to his mother. Ironically, it was his phone battery dying that led to his capture—he went into the mall to charge it and was spotted by undercover officers. He is now in custody facing formal charges, and police are expanding their investigation to track down the shop that purchased the stolen phone. CCTV footage shows the suspect dragging the female victim along the mall floor to snatch her bag.