Thailand investigates after 81-year-old tourist abandoned by moto-taxi driver

By Hoang Vu May 15, 2024 | 03:21 pm PT

Motorbike drivers are seen in Bangkok, Thailand, October 2017. Photo by Unsplash/13on

Police in Thailand's Chonburi Province are investigating claims of an 81-year-old Israeli tourist who said he was abandoned and had his phone robbed by a motorcycle taxi driver.

The incident caught the attention of police after Albert Mahlev was found sitting alone at a store by the side of Sukhumvit Road in the Sattahip District on Monday, Pattaya News reported.

He hired a motorcycle taxi from Soi Buakhao in Pattaya, and the driver carried him to an intersection on Sukhumvit Road in Sattahip.

There, the driver allegedly abandoned him and stole his mobile phone, the elderly man told the police, Pattaya Mail reported.

Due to language barriers, he sat at the roadside store waiting for assistance.

Residents reported the incident to local police who took him to the nearby station for further questioning.

Police said they are on the hunt for the driver and pledged to protect the safety of foreign tourists.

A Japanese tourist recently said he was ripped off by a Bangkok tuktuk driver.

The tourist was charged 6,000 baht (US$162) for a trip from Asoke to the Sala Daeng areathat would normally cost around 32 baht on the BTS Skytrain, according to Thaiger.