฿20m watch drama in Pattaya. Two transgender women are arrested after a Chinese tourist pays ฿20,000 but gets only his passport back. Police recovered his diamond-studded Patek Philippe, but suspects claim he owed a ฿2,000 debt and that the watch was fake.
A Chinese tourist’s ฿20 million diamond-studded Patek Philippe sparked a police hunt across Pattaya after two transgender women allegedly stole it from his hotel room. The tourist paid ฿20,000 to recover his watch and passport but received only the latter. Police arrested two suspects within hours and recovered the luxury timepiece. However, the women claim they were owed ฿2,000 for services and believed the watch was fake. Investigators are probing possible previous offences, while a separate German tourist reported losing cash, jewellery and his passport. The watch is back with its Chinese owner, but its authenticity, extraordinary value and the suspects’ legal fate remain unresolved.
A Chinese tourist’s ฿20 million diamond-studded Patek Philippe vanished from a Pattaya hotel room after an encounter with two transgender women. The women allegedly took his passport and luxury watch before demanding ฿20,000 to return the belongings.
He paid the money but recovered only his passport. Police subsequently launched a hunt across central Pattaya, arresting two suspects early on Sunday, November 8.
The watch was recovered and returned to its owner the following day. However, investigators face conflicting accounts of the incident, while the timepiece’s authenticity and extraordinary value remain unverified.
Chinese tourist reports ฿20 million Patek Philippe missing after hotel encounter and ฿20,000 demand
The Chinese visitor was identified as Wu Yizeng, who was staying at the Z8 Hotel on Soi Jomtien 6. On Saturday, November 7, he reported that two transgender women had taken valuables from room 309.
Among the missing property was his passport and a silver-coloured, diamond-encrusted Patek Philippe PP5719G. Wu valued the watch at four million Chinese yuan, approximately ฿20 million. The reported price placed the timepiece at the centre of the police investigation.
According to his complaint, the two women left the hotel with his belongings. They subsequently demanded ฿20,000 in exchange for returning the missing property. Wu agreed to pay the money, expecting to recover his passport and watch.
Instead, he received only his travel document. The expensive timepiece remained missing, despite the cash payment. Faced with the loss of his watch, the Chinese tourist reported the incident to Pattaya City Police Station.
The circumstances surrounding the women’s arrival at the hotel have not been fully established. Nor have investigators publicly detailed their relationship with Wu or their movements inside room 309.
Pattaya police track two transgender suspects through city streets and make arrests before sunrise
Nevertheless, the tourist maintained that both women were responsible for removing his possessions. His complaint also identified the subsequent demand for money and the failure to return the watch.
Pattaya City Police Station Superintendent Police Colonel Anek Srathongyu took charge of the investigation. Deputy Superintendent Police Lieutenant Colonel Arut Sapanon assisted in directing the operation. Police Sergeant Thatsanai Termphon was also involved. In response, officers began tracing the suspects through central Pattaya, examining their movements and gathering evidence concerning the missing property.
The operation moved quickly. By approximately 12.30 am on Sunday, November 8, police had arrested two transgender women, aged 30 and 24. Local sources identified the suspects as Mintra Buran, 30, and Supakan Somkarathat, 24. However, the English transliterations of their surnames remain uncertain. Both were taken into custody following the investigation into Wu’s complaint.
Investigators first located the younger suspect near Soi 13/3 on Pattaya Beach Road. Initially, the 24-year-old reportedly denied involvement in the disappearance of the watch. Officers then confronted her with video evidence gathered during the investigation.
Second suspect traced to Pattaya apartment as women dispute ฿20,000 demand and unpaid ฿2,000 fee
According to a subsequent source briefing, she identified another person connected with the incident. Police used that information to pursue the second suspect.
The trail led officers to an apartment on Soi 9, Pattaya Second Road. There, investigators located the 30-year-old woman. Both suspects were subsequently taken to Pattaya City Police Station for questioning.
The arrests followed the original complaint by less than a day. Meanwhile, officers continued examining the missing watch, the passport and the reported ฿20,000 payment.
Questioning produced sharply differing accounts of the incident. Early reports stated that both suspects denied the accusations. Yet subsequent reporting by Thai broadcaster FM91 described an explanation involving an unpaid fee.
According to its November 8 report, the women acknowledged taking the watch during questioning. They reportedly claimed the Chinese tourist still owed them ฿2,000 for their services.
The suspects maintained that they intended to return the watch once the outstanding amount was paid. Their account differed from Wu’s complaint about paying ฿20,000 to recover his belongings. He described a demand for money after the disappearance of his passport and watch. By contrast, the women reportedly described an unpaid service fee. The available reports do not establish how the two accounts fit together.
Suspects claim luxury watch was fake as police examine conflicting statements and possible theft charges
The suspects also reportedly claimed they believed the expensive-looking watch was counterfeit. They maintained that they had no idea it could be worth millions of baht. According to FM91, their explanation centred on the unpaid ฿2,000 and their belief that the timepiece was fake. However, those statements remain claims attributed to the women, not independently established findings.
The accounts of their questioning also differ. Initial publications described outright denials, while FM91 subsequently reported an acknowledgement that the watch had been taken. These statements could have been recorded at different stages of the investigation. However, the published material does not establish the precise sequence. No complete transcript of the suspects’ police interviews has been made available.
Separately, the reported criminal accusations also vary between publications. Initial accounts identified receiving stolen property as the offence being pursued. FM91 subsequently reported that police were pursuing nighttime theft and receiving stolen property charges.
Police reports do not establish whether additional offences were formally included. Notably, no confirmed extortion charge has emerged, despite the tourist’s account of the ฿20,000 demand.
The mysterious payment remains a central element of the complaint. Wu maintained that he handed over ฿20,000 after the women demanded money for his belongings. He recovered his passport but not the watch. The suspects, according to FM91, referred to an outstanding ฿2,000 payment for services. Investigators have not publicly reconciled the figures or established the complete circumstances surrounding the exchange.
Police recover missing Patek Philippe and return it to Chinese tourist as questions surround its value
Despite the conflicting accounts, police succeeded in recovering the missing timepiece. The breakthrough ended the search for the watch, which Wu had valued at approximately ฿20 million. Officers subsequently arranged for the valuable-looking item to be returned to its owner. By Monday, November 9, the Chinese tourist had regained possession of the watch.
Pattaya Mail confirmed the recovery and handover in its November 9 report. In addition, FM91 reported that Wu attended Pattaya City Police Station to collect his property. The Chinese visitor thanked investigators for recovering the watch.
His passport had already been returned following the earlier cash payment. Therefore, both items identified in his original complaint were back in his possession.
The recovery also brought fresh attention to the watch’s extraordinary reported price. Wu had described the missing item as a Patek Philippe worth four million yuan. The recovered timepiece is believed to be a Nautilus Reference 5719/10G-010. This is associated with the Swiss manufacturer’s high-value diamond-set jewellery watches. The reference is described as an 18-carat white-gold model extensively decorated with diamonds.
Authenticity of ฿20 million Patek Philippe remains unverified despite police recovery and handover
The Nautilus 5719 belongs to Patek Philippe’s expensive Haute Joaillerie category. However, the recovered watch has not been independently authenticated in the available reporting. Nor has a specialist confirmed its precise model or materials. The distinction is significant because the ฿20 million figure originated with Wu’s own valuation. No published expert appraisal has established the recovered item’s market price.
FM91 specifically noted that the watch’s authenticity and exact model required expert verification. Consequently, its recovery does not independently establish that it is a genuine Patek Philippe. Equally, the available evidence does not confirm that the timepiece is worth ฿20 million. Police recovered the item reported missing, but its specifications and value remain unresolved.
The suspects’ reported belief that the watch was counterfeit adds another disputed element to the investigation. According to local news sources, both women claimed they had not realised its potential value. Their explanation remains separate from the question of whether the recovered timepiece is genuine. No published expert findings have settled that issue. Meanwhile, the watch has already been physically returned to Wu.
Police examine suspects’ past as German tourist reports separate theft of cash, jewellery and passport
On another front, police are examining whether the two arrested women were involved in previous offences. Initial police information suggested possible involvement in similar incidents.
However, investigators have not publicly established the full extent of their criminal histories. Nor have details of previous convictions been independently confirmed. No additional cases have been conclusively linked to the suspects in the available reporting.
The arrests came shortly after another foreign tourist reported losing valuables in Pattaya. On November 6, a German visitor complained that two transgender women had stolen property while he was showering.
He reported losing €1,000, jewellery and his passport. The incident involved another missing travel document, alongside cash and valuables. However, the circumstances differed from those described by Wu.
Crucially, police have not established any connection between the German tourist’s complaint and the Chinese visitor’s case. Investigators have not confirmed that the women arrested over Wu’s watch were involved in the earlier incident. Nor have they identified a common operation linking the complaints. The two investigations therefore remain separate on the available evidence.
Separate tourist theft complaints remain unlinked as Pattaya investigators pursue criminal proceedings
Nevertheless, the German complaint preceded the high-value watch investigation by only one day. Both cases involved foreign visitors reporting missing possessions following encounters with transgender women.
In each complaint, a passport was among the missing items. However, those similarities do not establish common suspects or a connection between the incidents.
Following their arrests, the two women were handed over to investigators at Pattaya City Police Station. Officers continued examining the evidence surrounding the disappearance of the watch and the reported demand for money.
As part of the inquiry, police also considered the suspects’ explanation involving an unpaid service fee. Their initial denials and subsequent reported statements remain part of the published record.
The legal position remains unresolved. Initial reports identified accusations of receiving stolen property, while police sources also reported nighttime theft. However, no confirmed court ruling had been reported by Monday, November 9.
There was likewise no established bail decision or final disposition of the proceedings. The available reports did not confirm whether prosecutors had formally accepted the reported charges.
Investigators must still establish the precise circumstances in which the watch was taken. The conflicting accounts concerning the payments also remain outstanding. Wu described paying ฿20,000 for the return of his belongings. Meanwhile, the suspects reportedly claimed they were owed ฿2,000 and intended to return the watch after payment.
Recovered watch returned to Chinese owner while police investigate suspects and unresolved questions
The question of the watch’s authenticity remains separate from those competing accounts. The Chinese tourist identified the recovered item as his missing luxury timepiece. Police subsequently returned it to him.
By Monday, the police operation had produced two arrests and the recovery of the missing property. Officers had traced one suspect near Pattaya Beach Road and another to an apartment off Pattaya Second Road.
The watch had also been returned to its owner, ending the immediate search. In parallel, investigators continued examining the women’s reported previous activities and the evidence surrounding Wu’s complaint.
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The case began with a missing passport and an extraordinarily expensive watch inside a Jomtien hotel. It escalated into a reported ฿20,000 demand, a police search and two arrests before dawn. Subsequently, officers recovered the diamond-encrusted timepiece and returned it to the Chinese tourist. However, the suspects’ legal position, their conflicting explanations and the watch’s independently verified value remain unresolved.
Wu Yizeng has recovered both his passport and the watch he valued at four million yuan. The two women remain subject to criminal proceedings arising from the incident.
Police are also examining possible previous offences, although no further involvement has been established. For now, the reported ฿20 million Patek Philippe is back with its owner, while the investigation continues.
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