Shop owner, 25-year-old Vietnamese man Le Sy Son, informed police of the theft at 12:15pm yesterday (Dec 3).
Mr Le said that his shop CCTV showed a Thai man with blond hair entered the shop at 5:07am and started browsing the bags and shoes on display, then left.
Only later did the shop staff notice that the money in the orange money box, reportedly B56,030, was missing, Mr Le said.
Police reviewed CCTV footage leaving the shop and heading towards Sai Nam Yen Intersection.
Officers identified the man as Arun Jannok, who has a criminal record, including a previous arrest for nighttime theft in only June this year.
The investigation team tracked Arun to a rented room on Sawatdirak Rd, where he was placed under arrest around 7:30pm.
In placing Arun under arrest officers seized B13,670 in cash and one brown wallet, and the clothes worn during the theft: one black short-sleeved round-neck T-shirt, one pair of black slacks and one pair of blue foam shoes.
Officers presented the CCTV evidence, and Arun admitted to the crime, stating that he had taken B13,670 from the shop.
He said that he used the stolen money for “personal expenses” and had also stolen a motorbike in the same area while out on bail.
Further investigation revealed that Arun had a history of theft, having been arrested and released in 2023, only to reoffend multiple times.
Arun was taken to Patong Police Station, where he was charged with nighttime theft and possession of stolen goods.