Thoughtful thief repaints car

KHON KAEN: A Khon Kaen teacher who had his car stolen last month has thanked the thief for repainting it.

Prayoon Sudcha, 56, is reunited with his Toyota, which was stolen a month ago and repainted. (Photo by Jakkrapan Nathanri)

A smiling Prayoon Sudcha, 56, was reunited with his new-look Toyota Yaris on Saturday. He said he couldn't get angry at the man who'd taken the car since he'd taken such good care of it.

Pichet Prompakdee, 25, a native of Chaiyaphum, was arrested at a South Korean rfestaurant on Kalapreuk Road in Muang district of Khon Kaen where he worked as a waiter. Police seized the car as well as a mobile phone, a Buddha amulet and a Khon Kaen licence plate.

Mr Prayoon, a teacher at Ban Paliam School in tambon Ban Khor in Muang district, reported the theft last month, said Pol Col Supakorn Khamsingnok, deputy Khon Kaen police chief.

The teacher told police he had gone drinking in downtown Khon Kaen with friends but became too drunk to drive home. He decided to park it on Theparak Road and sleep inside.

He said he awoke the next morning to see a thin young man sitting inside his vehicle, which was stopped at the Nong Khot public park, away from the place he had parked earlier. The man then drove his car away, leaving him alone.

Pol Col Supakorn said police examined closed-circuit cameras in areas around the park and finally found the stolen car parked in front of the restaurant where the suspect worked.

Mr Pichet claimed ownership of the vehicle, but failed to produce ownership documents when asked. He later confessed that he had stolen the car, officers said.

The suspect told police that he had found Mr Prayoon’s car blocking his way while riding a motorcycle to his dormitory in Soi Wuttharam in Muang district. The car owner looked drunk and was snoring loudly in the back seat of the unlocked vehicle, with the engine running.

He said he opened a car door and tried in vain to wake the man up. He then drove the car to the park where he parked it. The car owner woke up and he offered to drive him home. However, the owner was still drunk. He decided to drive the car to his dormitory, leaving the owner behind.

He later had the Toyota repainted, decorated it with stickers and replaced its licence plate with that of the car that had been repossessed by a financial firm after he failed to pay monthly installments.

The suspect was handed to local police for legal action.