BANGKOK, THAILAND – Within hours in Bangkok’s historic centre, a foreign tourist was reunited with 28,000 baht in cash she had lost, in a case that highlighted the role of honest passers-by and Metropolitan Police units along the Chao Phraya River.
Wallet with 28,000 baht returned in Thewet
A foreign woman had lost her wallet in the Thewet area, known for its riverside markets, and reported the incident to the temporarily housed Samsen Police Station in Dusit district, after the new station building had been demolished last year due to a massive sinkhole. Shortly afterwards, a passer-by found the wallet containing 28,000 baht in cash in front of a Siam Commercial Bank branch in Thewet and handed it not directly to the local station, but to officers of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, who forwarded it to the competent unit.
CCTV search and handover at market car park
The loss was reported to senior officers at about 11:30 a.m. on 13 January and passed to Pol. Lt. Gen. Siam Boonsom, chief of the Metropolitan Police, with Pol. Maj. Gen. Worasak Pisitbannakorn and Samsen station chief Pol. Col. Kongsak Srihor also involved in the briefing; the investigative team was led by Pol. Lt. Col. Kiatirrat Wongkaensan. Officers immediately reviewed CCTV footage at the bank entrance, which clearly showed a man picking up the wallet at around 11:35 a.m., then identified him and contacted him by phone. The finder agreed to hand the wallet over to police but asked to meet in the car park of Bobae Market as he found it difficult to travel to the station.
On site, officers received the wallet and counted the contents, confirming exactly 28,000 baht, the amount previously reported by the tourist. At the Samsen station, the money was later returned to the owner and recorded as a recovered lost item, and no investigation was initiated against the honest finder.
Similar case at Asiatique with American tourist
On 6 January a similar incident occurred at the popular riverside night market Asiatique, where an American tourist lost 11,170 baht in cash while shopping. Two Thai students, Ms. Praiya Wongwiwatwaithaya (18) and Ms. Atcharaporn Kulprasert (17), found the money on the ground and immediately went to the Wat Phraya Krai Police Station. There, Pol. Lt. Col. Siwat Yang-un received the cash at about 6:40 p.m., registered the find, opened an investigation to identify the owner and secured surrounding video footage, which showed a foreign tourist near the spot where the money was discovered and whom officers considered the possible owner.
Coordinated search in busy shopping area
Under the supervision of Pol. Maj. Gen. Witawat Chinkham of Metropolitan Police Division 5 and local station chief Pol. Col. Watit Rojanapaitoon, officers searched the extensive grounds of Asiatique. At the same time, the operations centre examined additional camera images, supported by Pol. Lt. Col. Krisana Chanprasert and Pol. Lt. Col. Warasathon Wakiatthana. Around 8:00 p.m., officers located a man matching the footage, who stated during a brief interview that he had lost money while on a shopping trip and accompanied police to the station, where one of the students later arrived to confirm the amount on site.
In the presence of all parties, investigators counted the notes and again found 11,170 baht, exactly the figure given by the American tourist. The sum was returned to him, and according to police the entire procedure was completed within roughly two hours of the money being handed in, with the teenagers declining any reward.
Riverfront police adapt to frequent loss reports
Police stations in both Thewet and around Asiatique reported that they regularly received loss reports from foreign visitors. Along the Chao Phraya riverbank, numerous markets, temples, hotels and guesthouses attract tourists, many of whom carry larger cash amounts. In response, the police increasingly relied on video surveillance around banks, shopping centres and market areas, close cooperation with honest finders and shop operators, and fast communication between different police divisions.
In both January cases, investigators documented each step in official records, checked amounts and identities and closed the files as properly returned property, while the names of the foreign tourists were withheld for data protection reasons.
Integrity under pressure from corruption allegations
The recent incidents indicated that, despite recurring corruption accusations against security forces that undermined public trust, both citizens and police in the capital were able to act with speed and accuracy. According to the involved units, the cases demonstrated the integrity of many people and the functionality of structures along Bangkok’s heavily frequented river corridor.