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Phuket expat accused of stealing bikes to sell via Facebook
| Published: | 17 Dec at 11 AM |
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A French expat and his Thai girlfriend have been accused of stealing motorcycles on the island of Phuket in order to rebuild them and sell them via Facebook.
Twenty-seven-year-old Mathieu Alfano and Pawana Moonsatub, 21, were identified from CCTV footage and able to be traced to their residence on Phrabaramee Road in Patong – the island’s largest town. Alfano is also suspected of offering local police a 100,000 baht bribe.
When police searched the apartment on Tuesday they found bike parts and accused the Frenchman of stealing a motorcycle on 3 December and Moonsatub of being involved in a separate offence at an earlier date. Alfano confessed to stealing a Honda PCX 150, but his partner denied involvement in any thefts.
The refitted motorcycle stolen by Alfano, who has been living on the island for the past 18 months on tourist visas, was sold to a Belgian man for 40,000 baht after he saw it advertised on Facebook. The buyer will not be charged with possessing stolen goods but has been made to hand the bike over to the authorities.
Police revealed that their initial application for arrest warrants was denied by the courts, before the decision was eventually reversed after further evidence was gathered.
Twenty-seven-year-old Mathieu Alfano and Pawana Moonsatub, 21, were identified from CCTV footage and able to be traced to their residence on Phrabaramee Road in Patong – the island’s largest town. Alfano is also suspected of offering local police a 100,000 baht bribe.
When police searched the apartment on Tuesday they found bike parts and accused the Frenchman of stealing a motorcycle on 3 December and Moonsatub of being involved in a separate offence at an earlier date. Alfano confessed to stealing a Honda PCX 150, but his partner denied involvement in any thefts.
The refitted motorcycle stolen by Alfano, who has been living on the island for the past 18 months on tourist visas, was sold to a Belgian man for 40,000 baht after he saw it advertised on Facebook. The buyer will not be charged with possessing stolen goods but has been made to hand the bike over to the authorities.
Police revealed that their initial application for arrest warrants was denied by the courts, before the decision was eventually reversed after further evidence was gathered.
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