Pickpocket at Market Village

[Big Boy]

I've just come back from Market Village. While there, we watched a bit of the Kid's Day stuff going on.

Without realising what I was doing, I grabbed a guy's hand inside my pocket (I've always had very quick reflexes). Then there's the awkward moment - I knew what he was doing, and he knew he'd been caught doing it. I've got a very strong grip, and he was going nowhere.

He started apologising, claiming it was an accident - yeah, OK. I don't think in 60 years on this planet that I've accidentally put my hand in anybody else's pocket, and I don't know anybody that has accidentally done it either.

What to do? Thinking on my feet, I decided that it would be my word against his, and I'd probably be asked for compensation for getting the police involved. I accepted his apology, and released my grip. He was on his way.

Mrs BB was buying clothes for a while. When finished, we walked back the same way. The guy was still loitering in the area.

Stupid thing is that my wallet was on the other side. I only had a dirty (snotty) handkerchief and a 13 Baht Tesco comb in the pocket that he was trying to pick. Well, I could see the funny side - trying to pick a snotty handkerchief (he could have saved himself the trouble by picking his own nose) .

[Terry]

And to think of it - you denied the poor bastard the opportunity to scrape your green gilberts off of your snot rag with your 13 baht comb.

How cruel

[Big Boy]

[NOKYAI]

I might have considered getting out my phone and taking a snapshot of his mug and telling him if you see him again you will show it to MIB ( not that they would do owt). Might have scared him off and saved some other poor soul. But you probably did the best thing, not worth getting into trouble about.

[Big Boy]

Unfortunately, the phone was in the zipped pocket below. I'd have had to release the grip to do that. As soon as I let go, he was gone.......... not that I'd thought of it

[Spitfire]

Anywhere else he would have got a good hiding and a Thai would have just shouted "Kha-mooy" and you'd have one of those pictures of the Thai victim pointing a finger at the thief with a cop in the background in a local paper.

You probably did the right thing as it's not worth attracting too much attention too yourself and it would be his word against yours (as you said) and the lying PoS would deny it and just be let go and you've made an enemy (a scumbag one too). His upcommance will take place soon enough as these types always end up in the jail house (or worse) sooner or later.

Thieves and scammers everywhere now, and not just ones like the one mentioned in this thread. The pressure to have money for this, that and the other in the modern society coupled with the inability or plain refusal to work and earn an honest day's buck with the intention of living within your means makes for some desperate and dishonest types these days.

Mix all that with the self-entitlement so many feel now is a right and that they believe they should be having the best of everything plus that the world owes them a living is just so surreal sometimes it's stunning.

Sometimes I'm sure I can see in people the thought going through their minds something akin to "...but it's me, I'm special, the rules and reality are just for other people."

[Allenby]

.

You probably did the right thing as it's not worth attracting too much attention too yourself and it would be his word against yours

Very good advice.

Thieves and scammers everywhere ... some desperate and dishonest types these days. Mix all that with the self-entitlement so many feel now is a right and that they believe they should be having the best of everything plus that the world owes them a living

So true.

Thank you, Spitfire, for those comments.

-- Al

[STEVE G]

Seeing as there was nothing in your pocket, are you sure he wasn't making a grab for your crown jewels?

[Big Boy]

A few years ago, maybe. Only fit as a museum piece these days

[Norseman]

[Spitfire]

Lol Norseman....glad you're still around. A rare post indead.

[sand_dancer]

Stupid thing is that my wallet was on the other side. I only had a dirty (snotty) handkerchief and a 13 Baht Tesco comb in the pocket that he was trying to pick. Well, I could see the funny side - trying to pick a snotty handkerchief (he could have saved himself the trouble by picking his own nose)

Ditch the wallet BB.......

Nothing more than a homing beacon......

[Norseman]

Still reading every word!
Meeting up soon?

[Stargeezer]

Good reflexes BB, only other thing you might have done, was to give this guys hand
a good twist, and tell him, he was lucky, not to have it, dislocated.
Of course that may have been too big if a word for the chap.
I will have to be as careful as possible on the next visit, as it sounds
like the troubles of Phuket, have come north to Hua Hin, Darn!

[Big Boy]

I will have to be as careful as possible on the next visit, as it sounds like the troubles of Phuket, have come north to Hua Hin, Darn!

This was a one-off for me, although the guy was still lurking in the same spot a short while after. You can be sure there was at least one more in the team for his ill gotten gains to be passed to. AFAIK, this isn't a big Hua Hin problem. I've not heard of people having their pockets picked at Market Village before.