PHUKET – On February 8, 2024 at 1:00 a.m., Patong Police Station received a report that a foreign tourist had been robbed by a motorcycle taxi driver in front of a hotel on Phra Metta Road, Patong Sub District, Kathu District, Phuket Province.
After receiving the report, patrol officers from Patong Police Station investigated and found that the foreign tourist had lost about 20,000 baht in cash. Investigators from Patong Police Station then questioned Mr. Xing Jingwei, a Chinese national, at the scene.
Upon questioning people who had witnessed the incident, it turned out that Mr. Xing had taken a motorcycle cab to the roadside near the hotel where the incident occurred. When he got there, he paid the motorcycle taxi driver before arguing with him.
The motorcycle taxi driver then drove away and the victim reached back and fell, injuring his elbow. Mr. Xing then went to the hotel and reported that he had been robbed.
Patong Police Station investigators later tracked down the motorcyclist, identified as Mr. Pan, 22, who was riding a red and black Honda Wave motorcycle with a Nakhon Si Thammarat license plate.
When questioned, Pan stated that he had picked up the tourist in Baan Mon and dropped him down at the spot. He and the tourist couldn’t agree on a fare because he couldn’t communicate with him, so they argued and he drove away. He did not take 20,000 baht in cash, as the visitor said.
At 7:00 a.m., the Patong Police Station investigators called Mr. Xing in for further questioning about the incident. He admitted that there was no pickpocketing or robbery and that he still had his 20,000 baht in cash.
A tourist claimed that he had distortedly reported after drinking alcohol and being frightened. The police then notified the Chinese consulate about his behaviour.
