Collins Ugwoeluchukwu, 26, told police he was driving his motorbike on a street near Phuket Fantasea in Kamala, when a black pickup truck overtook him and came to a stop, blocking his way.
Details of what happened next are sketchy, but Mr Ugwoeluchukwu told police that two foreigners then got out of the truck and starting hitting him, before taking his bike. He was left covered in dust and with minor bruising to his face.
At the scene, police questioned a witness who had seen what happened – and who confirmed that Mr Ugwoeluchukwu’s story was true and that two men had indeed thumped the Nigerian before taking the bike.
Mr Ugwoeluchukwu told police he usually comes to Phuket for about two or three months a year, spending the rest of his time in Bangkok running his own business.
Police suspected there might have been a “conflict of interest” between the three men and that they all knew each other, but Mr Ugwoeluchukwu denied knowing his two attackers.
Pol Col Somneuk Dumkaew of Kamala Police told The Phuket News that the two men suspected of stealing the bike were believed to be Caucasian.
Mr Ugwoeluchukwu was due to go to the Kamala police station today at 10am, but did not turn up for the appointment.