Bangkok: Sai Mai police arrested a car thief who claimed he found the keys in the trash, a stroke of luck from heaven. Upon arrest, he asserted, "I found the key in a trash can, tried pressing the buttons and it unlocked the car." He then removed the license plates and used the stolen vehicle to collect scrap metal for sale.
According to Thai News Agency, the owner of a white Suzuki Swift posted online searching for their car, which was stolen from a parking lot of an apartment building on Chalermpong Road, near Wongsakorn intersection, Sai Mai district, Bangkok. Authorities reviewed CCTV footage and found someone driving the car on the road, picking up a woman, before driving away. The incident occurred on August 10th at approximately 1:00 AM.
Investigators from Sai Mai Police Station traced the perpetrators to Mr. Warayut, 22 years old, and Ms. B (pseudonym), and immediately arrested them on August 11.
Mr. Warayut testified that on that day, he and his girlfriend were collecting scrap from trash cans in the dormitory area to sell when they suddenly found the car keys in a trash can. He tried unlocking the car and found it worked. Thinking it was a stroke of luck, he drove off and picked up his girlfriend. Later, he consulted an older acquaintance via phone about what to do next. The acquaintance suggested removing the license plates and using the car to collect scrap, which he did immediately. However, after only one day of using the car, he was arrested by the police.