The foreign suspect, aged 21, was arrested at an undisclosed location around 5.30pm yesterday (Jan 26), one day after the crime. The arrest was made based on a warrant issued by the Phuket Provincial Court for "theft at night committed through damaging an obstruction meant to protect people or property," Patong Police said in a report posted on Facebook at 7.49pm yesterday (Jan 26)
While Patong Police did not directly name the suspect, pictures clearly show the man who was previously identified as Mohamed Yassine Zariouh, a German passport holder.
The pursuit of Mr Zariouh began on Jan 25, after the Noble House hotel filed a complaint with Patong Police Station, reporting a foreign man stealing envelopes containing approximately B86,000 in cash from the hotel front desk drawer.
During the envelope search, Mr Zariouh at one time stared directly into the CCTV camera, providing police officers with a clear image of his face.
Investigations by Patong Police revealed that Mr Zariouh had rented a Yamaha NMax motorbike on Thursday last week (Jan 18) and failed to return it the next day. Unable to contact him, the woman who rented the motorbike, Pissamai Yadav, 61, reported it as missing to Patong Police.
After reaching Zariouh, he claimed the motorbike was damaged in an accident and presented Ms Pissamai with the money for repairs on Jan 25 before leaving.
Police suspect the money stolen from Noble House hotel was used to pay Ms Pissamai.