Thief caught stealing British tourist’s suitcase from the baggage carousel in Bangkok airport

Thief is caught on camera stealing British tourist’s suitcase from the baggage carousel in Bangkok airport before wheeling it out of the terminal

  • Michael Joerg seen lifting British tourist’s case onto his trolley in Bangkok airport
  • German, 39, seen on CCTV wheeling it away before leaving terminal in a taxi
  • Arrest warrant was issued and he was held at southern Thai border checkpoint

A German man has been arrested after he was caught on camera stealing a British holidaymaker’s suitcase from an airport baggage carousel in Thailand.

Michael Joerg, 39, was seen on CCTV lifting the woman’s black medium-sized case onto his trolley before wheeling it away at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok.

The victim told airport staff that her case was missing and they identified the thief from surveillance cameras. He left the airport in a taxi and an arrest warrant was issued.

Joerg was finally detained after he tried to leave the country through a border checkpoint in Trat, southern Thailand on Saturday afternoon more than a month after the original crime, which took place on December 13.

German tourist Michael Joerg has been arrested after he was caught on camera (in the blue shirt) stealing a British holidaymaker’s suitcase from an airport baggage carousel

Michael Joerg (in the blue shirt), 39, was seen on CCTV lifting the woman's black medium-sized case onto his trolley before wheeling it away at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand 

Michael Joerg (in the blue shirt), 39, was seen on CCTV lifting the woman’s black medium-sized case onto his trolley before wheeling it away at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand 

Officials detained the German and he was driven back to the airport where he confessed to making off with the British woman’s suitcase.

He told police that he had performed the same theft several times before and would ‘sell the valuables and keep the money’.

He said: ‘This is the first time that I have been caught. I have stolen suitcases before and then left and re-entered the country to do it again.’

Joerg told police he had always targeted dark suitcases that were hard to identify. 

Police believe that is how he had evaded capture in the past, as victims watching back CCTV had been unable to pin-point their luggage being taken.

The German now faces charges of ‘stealing from an airport’ which is punishable with a prison term of between one year and five years and/or a fine of between 20,000 baht (£485) and 100,000 baht (£2,420).

The victim told airport staff that her case was missing and they identified the thief from surveillance cameras. He left the airport in a taxi and an arrest warrant was issued

The victim told airport staff that her case was missing and they identified the thief from surveillance cameras. He left the airport in a taxi and an arrest warrant was issued

After being arrested, Joerg told police he had always targeted dark suitcases that were hard to identify. He is pictured wheeling the British tourist's suitcase out of Bangkok airport

After being arrested, Joerg told police he had always targeted dark suitcases that were hard to identify. He is pictured wheeling the British tourist’s suitcase out of Bangkok airport

Joerg was finally detained after he tried to leave the country through a border checkpoint in Trat, southern Thailand on Saturday afternoon more than a month after the original crime, which took place on December 13. Thai video shows him (right) speaking to officials

Joerg was finally detained after he tried to leave the country through a border checkpoint in Trat, southern Thailand on Saturday afternoon more than a month after the original crime, which took place on December 13. Thai video shows him (right) speaking to officials

Airport boss Kittipong Kittikachorn said: ‘The victim had informed the inquiry officer Suvarnabhumi Airport Police Station that she arrived on a Qatar Airways flight but it turned out that no luggage was found at the luggage belt.

‘The special operations centre together with the security department and the police inspected the CCTV cameras and detected the suspect as a foreigner who was seen picking up the bag.

‘The suspect admitted the theft and revealed he had done the same crime in the past but had not been caught.’

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