Russian National Identified as Suspect in Phuket Currency Exchange Robbery

Police have identified a Russian national as the suspect behind the theft of cash from a currency exchange booth in Phuket, revising their initial assumption that the offender might have been a Thai citizen disguised as a foreigner.

The robbery took place on July 19 at a currency exchange counter inside a shopping mall in Wichit. The theft occurred shortly before closing time, while staff only discovered the missing money when they returned to open the business the following morning.

CCTV footage showed the suspect wearing a black jacket, black shorts, a dark blue baseball cap, glasses, and a brown moustache. Although he appeared to be a foreigner, investigators initially believed he could have been a Thai national because the safe had been opened using the correct security code and around 600,000 baht was taken without any signs of forced entry.

On July 28, officers from Wichit Police Station announced that the suspect had been identified as 47-year-old Russian citizen Vitalii Kobin.

Police confirmed that an arrest warrant had been issued for Kobin on a charge of nighttime theft under Section 335 of Thailand’s Criminal Code, an offense punishable by one to five years in prison and a fine ranging from 2,000 to 10,000 baht.

Investigators also stated that Kobin has allegedly overstayed his Thai visa for several years. Authorities believe he is still in Thailand and continue efforts to locate and apprehend him.

Russian tourists remain one of Phuket’s largest international visitor groups. In separate and unrelated cases, several Russian nationals have recently appeared in criminal investigations across Thailand. Earlier this month, two Russians were arrested in Phuket during an operation targeting mule bank accounts linked to call centre scam networks. In May, another Russian man was detained on a coach travelling from Phuket to Pattaya after police allegedly found illegal drugs in his possession. During the same month, five Russian nationals were arrested following a violent altercation at a night market in Phuket that reportedly resulted in assaults on Thai bystanders.