The two men – Suchart Chengthong, 27, originally from Bangkok, and Nathakorn Ritraksa, 27, a Phuket native from Pa Khlok – were arrested on Monday (Feb 8), explained Lt Col Sathit Noorit of the Phuket City Police.
Suchart and Nathakorn were arrested after a 48-year-old man reported to police at about midday last Sunday (Feb 7) that his black Honda Dream motorbike with sidecar and canopy was missing.
The motorbike was fitted to be used as a mobile food station.
The man told police that the night before (Feb 6) he had parked the motorbike in front of his house on Sakdidet Rd, Phuket Town. He did not realise his three-wheeler was missing until he exited the house at about 10am the next day.
Police checked CCTV in the area and found that two men had come and stolen the food vendor’s motorbike with sidecar at about 1:30am that night.
The two had arrived on a motorbike, and as they rode off one of them used his foot to push the motorbike with sidecar quietly along with them.
Through CCTV footage, police tracked down the two men to a shack in Moo 3, Pa Khlok, Lt Col Sathit explained.
Police found Suchart and Nathakorn with the red-black Honda Wave motorbike that they used to commit the theft and the clothes that they were wearing at that time, he added.
At the shack, police found that the sidecar, canopy and cooking fittings had all been disconnected and removed from the stolen motorbike.
Suchart confessed that he had disassembled the motorbike and its sidecar and posted the parts for sale on his Facebook page, Lt Col Sathit said.
During questioning, Suchart also confessed that he had previously stolen another motorbike with sidecar from a house on Yaowarat Rd in Phuket Town, on Jan 28.
Lt Col Sathit confirmed that Suchart and Nathakorn were taken to Phuket City Police Station and charged with theft in the nighttime by using a vehicle to flee.