Woman arrested over alleged coffee-drugging theft of Patong tuk-tuk driver

Patong Police have arrested a woman on a Phuket Provincial Court warrant in connection with the alleged theft of valuables from a tuk-tuk driver after he said he was given coffee and lost consciousness.

Police said the suspect was apprehended on June 10 by officers from Patong Police Station on the 11th-floor walkway of a condominium in Bangkok's Asoke area. She was wanted on a charge of theft at night.

The case began after 53-year-old tuk-tuk driver Somnuk Chanagkul reported the incident to police on June 5. Mr Somnuk told officers that at about 9pm on June 4 he picked up a Thai woman whose face was partly concealed by a hat.

He said the woman hired him to drive her to Karon to help film a video. After the job was completed, he drove her back to the area in front of Kalim School in Patong.

According to Mr Somnuk, the woman then offered him a cup of coffee, saying she planned to start a coffee business and wanted him to try it. After drinking the coffee, he said he suddenly became drowsy and fell asleep.

When he woke up, he found that a gold necklace and gold bracelet with a combined weight of about five baht, valued at more than B300,000, as well as his mobile phone, were missing.

Police said Mr Somnuk appeared disoriented when he gave his statement and was unable to provide a fully coherent account of what had happened. Investigators reviewed evidence and coordinated with Patong Hospital to conduct blood tests to determine whether he had been drugged or exposed to another substance before losing consciousness.

Police said investigators later gathered enough evidence to seek an arrest warrant from the Phuket Provincial Court. They have not said whether any of the stolen property has been recovered, and the investigation is continuing.