The police found $1,600, 1,560 Dirhams and 12,500 baht in Mahesh Mote's possession (Representational)
A 23-year-old Indian man has been arrested in Thailand for allegedly stealing cash belonging to an Egyptian passenger at the Suvarnabhumi airport in Bangkok, police said.
Mahesh Vaijinath Mote was identified after the footage of a security camera showed that at 2.15 am on November 4, he walked into the lounge and sat on a chair behind the Egyptian, the Bangkok Post reported.
When the Egyptian fell asleep, Mr Mote searched his luggage and took an amount of cash from a small bag. He then replaced the bag on the trolley before walking away, the paper quoted police as saying.
He then hailed a taxi to take him to a hotel in Silom area. The Egyptian filed a complaint with the Suvarnabhumi airport police on Saturday, saying that an amount of cash in his luggage had been stolen while he was asleep in the departure lounge at the airport, the report said.
The police found $1,600, 1,560 Dirhams and 12,500 baht in Mr Mote's possession, it said.
Mahesh Mote first denied he had stolen the money from the Egyptian, but confessed to the theft charges when shown the security camera footage, the report said. He said he had travelled to Thailand on seven occasions.
Most recently, he stayed until September when his tourist visa expired and he ran out of money for daily expenses and the hotel bills. He decided to go to Suvarnabhumi airport to steal money, he said and the Egyptian was his victim, the report added.