On Dec 14, a 25-year-old female tourist identified as Vanessa Aust filed a theft report with Wichit Police explaining that her iPhone 13 Pro disappeared from her bag while she was swimming near the Bandara Hotel, where she was staying for her vacation.
The young woman, initially identified in reports as Dutch and later as a German national, also mentioned that she noticed a woman in Muslim attire near her belongings around the time of the incident.
After reviewing CCTV footage, police officers tracked down the suspect matching the victim’s description and identified as Sobariya Jemah, a 24-year-old woman from the local Thai Muslim community.
During the search, for which the suspect gave permission, police officers found the iPhone 13 Pro belonging to Ms Aust.
In a short promotional video, Ms Aust thanked Phuket Tourist Police for "saving her vacation" and promised to come back to Thailand again.
Ms Sobariya was detained and now faces charges of theft. Section 334 of the Thai Criminal Code (theft without additional circumstances) carries a penalty of up to three years in prison and/or a fine of up to 60,000 baht. A suspended term is possible if the court decides so.