Overview
- The 38-year-old was offering readings outside Wat Chaimongkol in South Pattaya in the early hours of January 1 when a 19-year-old, identified as Pim, approached him.
- During the session he warned she would soon lose something valuable and asked for money to prevent it, which she refused.
- Shortly after leaving, she noticed her iPhone 13 Pro missing; the man claimed the loss validated his forecast and described a supposed thief.
- Bystanders helped summon police, who found the phone concealed in a face mask box inside his bag; he allegedly confessed and pleaded with her not to file a complaint, citing financial need and a first offense.
- He remains in custody at Pattaya City Police Station as officers seized his fortune-telling items and returned the phone to the victim, with reports not detailing formal charges and noting fortune-telling’s broad popularity in Thailand and a market worth hundreds of millions of dollars.