Chornyi was arrested last night (February 16) by the Phuket Tourist Police at Central Festival Phuket shopping mall, after he was videoed by a Phuket News reader on Saturday entering restaurants and dropping small cards on the restaurant tables saying he was deaf and asking customers to buy Angry Birds keychains for B100 – or to make a donation. A few minutes later he walked back collecting the keychains, cards and any donations.
When alerted to the video footage of Chornyi in action, Pol Maj Urumporn Koondejsumrit, an inspector with the Tourist Police, told The Phuket News he planned to send a team down to Central Festival to investigate.
Chornyi was arrested around 6.30pm and taken to Wichit Police Station, along with his haul of Angry Birds keychains and cash.
He was charged with general nuisance and not showing his passport to police (Chornyi told police he had left it with a car renter). He may also face scamming or fraud related charges, depending on the police investigation.
In December, photographs and video footage was sent to The Phuket News by readers who saw foreigners doing the same thing in Kata and Patong. One female foreigner was spotted at Swensen’s at Kata Beach, while a male foreigner was seen at a bar/restaurant on Patong Beach.
View Chornyi in action at Central Festival on Saturday night below.