Man flees gold shop with necklace, leaves ID behind in North Pattaya mall

PATTAYA, Thailand – Police are searching for a man who allegedly posed as a customer before fleeing with a 2-baht gold necklace from a jewelry store inside a shopping mall in Pattaya, leaving behind an identification card that investigators are now verifying. The theft occurred at around 5:40 p.m. on July 17 at Bangkok Golds, located inside Lotus North Pattaya. According to police, the suspect entered the store dressed in a black cap, black T-shirt, black jeans, and white sneakers. He asked to examine and try on a 2-baht dragon-bone pattern gold necklace, appearing to be a genuine customer. While wearing the necklace, the man allegedly told staff not to make any noise and claimed he would return the jewelry within 30 minutes. To reassure employees, he left behind what appeared to be a Thai national identification card before walking out of the store with the necklace. Realizing the suspect had no intention of returning, staff alerted police. Investigators are now working to determine whether the identification card left behind belongs to the suspect or was stolen or forged. Police have also launched a review of CCTV footage from inside the shopping mall and along possible escape routes while interviewing store employees and witnesses to identify and locate the suspect. Authorities have not yet disclosed whether the suspect used a vehicle to flee and said the investigation remains ongoing.