This is the dramatic moment two determined British teenagers sprinted after a moped-riding thief who snatched their handbag in Thailand.
Teenager Lucy Emma Crawford and her friend Milla Anne Tomkinson, both 19, were strolling along a quiet street in Chiang Mai when a man on a motorbike suddenly tore past them and grabbed Lucy’s black shoulder bag.
A shop’s security footage captured the shocking scene as the rider sped off while the two holidaymakers from Wythenshawe, Manchester, chased after him in panic, shouting for help in the deserted street.
The thief was spotted racing away through an intersection in the early hours of Monday, leaving the pair shaken and empty-handed.
At around 3.50am local time, the women went to a nearby police station to file a complaint. Officers quickly reviewed the CCTV and began tracking the suspect.
By later that morning, police had located 39-year-old Phanuwat Dechpan at a car repair shop in the Doi Saket district.
According to officers, he panicked and tried to escape as soon as they arrived, but was swiftly surrounded, handcuffed and taken into custody.
Detectives then escorted him back to his apartment, where they found the stolen items.
The haul included Lucy’s handbag, an iPhone 16, a power bank, a room key and a pink portable fan.
Phanuwat was brought to the Chiang Mai City Police Station for questioning and suffered further humiliation when he was paraded in shackles in front of cameras at a press conference.
He was then made to face his brave victims, who sat across from him as he glared at them. The perpetrator was then led away as police returned Lucy’s items to her.
The robber was charged with theft using a vehicle and handed over to investigators for legal proceedings.
Lucy and Milla later identified him as the culprit and thanked Thai police for recovering the bag so quickly.
Police Major General Yutthana Kaenchan said: ‘During interrogation, the suspect confessed to the crime, claiming it was a momentary lapse in judgment.
‘He said he had just finished his contract with a government agency in Doi Saket District and had been employed at the car repair shop.
‘He was in debt, both for motorcycle instalments and rent, and committed the bag snatching and returned to his apartment. Before the tourist’s stolen property could be sold, the police arrived to arrest him.’
Bag-snatching is a well-known problem in Thailand, where thieves often use motorbikes to make a lightning-fast getaway.
Police in tourist hotspots, including Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya, have long warned visitors to be vigilant, particularly late at night or when walking on quieter streets.
In recent months, there have been reports of a rise in motorbike muggings in Pattaya, with criminals targeting both locals and foreigners by riding past and ripping bags straight from their victims’ clutches.
In some cases, thieves have even used razor blades to slice bags open without victims noticing until it is too late.
The method is popular among offenders because the motorcycles allow them to weave through traffic, vanish into side streets and escape arrest within seconds.
Some suspects have been caught disguising themselves as motorbike taxi drivers to look less suspicious before striking.
