NONTHABURI — A vintage t-shirt shop owner in Nonthaburi province, near Bangkok, has filed a police report after foreign tourists stole a rare Harley Davidson t-shirt valued at 15,000 baht (approximately $465). The shop owner expressed deep disappointment, saying they never expected Japanese visitors to engage in such behavior.
Mr. Kampol and Mrs. Piyanuch Sueangpong, ages 42 and 43, the married couple who own the secondhand t-shirt shop in Bang Yai district, revealed that the incident occurred on August 18 when three Japanese tourists aged approximately 20-25 years entered their store. At the time, Piyanuch was working alone in the shop as her husband had gone to pick up their child from school.
She explained to the three Japanese visitors that the shop sells two types of clothing: high-quality curated t-shirts sold individually, and bulk t-shirts that customers can select themselves, each with different pricing structures.
The Japanese tourists chose the latter option for 3,000 baht ($93), which allowed them to select 30 pieces from sacks containing over 200 items. The trio spent nearly two hours sorting through clothes but only found 19 pieces to their liking.
Seeing that the three were foreign customers who had come to shop at her store, Piyanuch offered them the opportunity to select additional shirts from outside the sacks to reach the full 30-piece limit. However, they ultimately selected only 26 pieces total. The group then inquired about vintage 90s t-shirts, so she directed them to another section of the store that sold retail-priced items.
At that point, she brought out a rare 3D Harley Davidson t-shirt worth 15,000 baht ($465) to show the Japanese group. During this moment, two of the Japanese visitors engaged her in conversation while the third person – wearing a black t-shirt and cap – seized the opportunity to grab the shirt and stuff it into his shoulder bag.
She didn’t notice at the time and only discovered the theft when a regular customer later asked about the shirt, prompting her to check the store’s security cameras.
“I never thought this group of Japanese customers would turn into thieves bold enough to commit such an act in our store, because Japanese people are known worldwide for being honest and having a high level of responsibility,” she said.
Her husband added that initially he thought the thief was more likely to be Thai, but seeing the evidence forced him to immediately change his perspective – that nowadays you cannot trust anyone of any nationality. His wife had even made coffee for this group of customers.
“I want to warn vintage clothing shops in various locations to be careful of this group of Japanese youths and not to carelessly trust them just because they’re foreign customers with deep pockets,” Kampol said.
The shop-owning couple filed a police report on August 21 at Bang Yai Police Station, requesting help in tracking down the young Japanese perpetrator for prosecution. Based on the behavior clearly visible in the store’s security footage, there was obvious criminal intent to steal. Police are currently investigating and tracking the suspects.
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