Knife-wielding motorcycle robbers slash and beat British man Anand Kumar in Jomtien but fail to steal his phone. Minutes later, a Russian tourist is held up at gunpoint as Pattaya police investigate a surge in attacks on foreigners in the resort city.
A British man was slashed and beaten by motorcycle robbers in Pattaya as foreign visitors faced a sudden burst of violent street attacks. Anand Kumar, 45, fought off two men trying to steal his phone in Jomtien early Tuesday. He was left bruised with a deep cut beside his temple. Minutes later, a Russian tourist was robbed at gunpoint. Another Russian had been beaten and robbed the previous day. Meanwhile, a Turkish tourist was targeted in another phone robbery, leading to two teenage arrests. Police have confirmed no link between the cases. However, the violent cluster has triggered multiple investigations as officers hunt Mr Kumar’s attackers through CCTV footage.
A 45-year-old British man was slashed and beaten by two motorcycle-riding robbers in Pattaya early Tuesday. The attackers targeted his mobile phone but fled empty-handed after he fought back. However, Anand Kumar was left bruised and bleeding after the violent attempted robbery. He suffered a cut running from his left temple towards his ear. Rescue workers believed a sharp weapon caused the wound.
The attack came amid a worrisome spate of violent street crime involving foreigners around Pattaya. Within days, British, Russian and Turkish nationals became victims or targets in separate incidents. Notably, another foreign tourist was robbed at gunpoint only minutes after Mr Kumar was attacked. Another Russian had been beaten and robbed the previous day.
Mr Kumar’s ordeal began at approximately 1.36 am on Tuesday, September 15. The attack occurred at the entrance to Soi Jomtien 15 in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi. According to the account given afterwards, two Thai men approached together on a motorcycle. Both appeared to be drunk.
Knife-wielding motorcycle robbers beat British man after he refuses to surrender his phone in Jomtien
The men rode alongside Mr Kumar before the encounter suddenly turned violent. One attacker threatened him with a sharp weapon and attempted to rob him. Subsequently, both men assaulted the British national and tried to seize his mobile phone. Mr Kumar resisted and refused to surrender the device.
A violent struggle followed beside the road during the early hours. During the attack, Mr Kumar suffered bruising across his body. More seriously, he sustained a cut stretching from his left temple towards his ear. Despite his injuries, he continued resisting the two attackers.
Eventually, the pair abandoned their attempt to take his phone. They escaped together on their motorcycle and disappeared into the surrounding streets. Mr Kumar had kept the device. However, he was injured and needed immediate assistance.
Afterwards, the British man made his way to a nearby convenience store. There, 20-year-old employee Duetdao Theewadwad encountered him shortly after the attack. Mr Kumar entered the shop seeking help. Ms Duetdao later gave police an account of what he told her.
According to her account, Mr Kumar said two Thai men approached him on a motorcycle. He said both appeared intoxicated. One then threatened him with a sharp weapon before trying to rob him. In response, Mr Kumar resisted as the men attempted to take his phone.
British man reaches Jomtien shop injured after fighting off two motorcycle robbers targeting his phone
The attempted theft quickly became a physical assault. The pair beat him while trying to pull the mobile phone away. Nevertheless, Mr Kumar prevented them from taking it. The attackers then broke off their assault and fled together on the motorcycle.
Meanwhile, the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation received an alert at approximately 1.36 am. Pattaya City Police Station was also informed. Rescue personnel rushed to assist Mr Kumar after the attack. By then, both suspects had escaped.
Rescue workers found bruising on Mr Kumar’s body. In addition, they found the wound running between his left temple and ear. They believed the injury had been caused by a sharp object. Personnel provided first aid before transferring him to a nearby hospital.
In response, police asked Mr Kumar to lodge a formal complaint. Investigators then began examining security cameras around Jomtien Soi 15. As part of this, officers also checked CCTV footage from surrounding roads. Police hoped to identify the motorcycle, its riders or their escape route.
The motorcycle became a central element in the hunt for the pair. Footage could show its appearance or registration plate. Equally, cameras farther from the scene could reveal where the attackers travelled afterwards. Investigators continued gathering evidence and searching for both men.
Police hunt motorcycle pair through Jomtien CCTV after British man is beaten and cut in phone robbery
Yet the attack on Mr Kumar was not an isolated violent incident involving a foreigner. Only minutes later, a Russian tourist was robbed at gunpoint on Soi Pattaya Park. Separately, another Russian tourist had been beaten and robbed around Soi Thappraya 9. That attack happened the previous day.
Consequently, police were examining whether any of the incidents could be connected. Investigators had not established such a link. Still, the cases placed several violent robberies involving foreigners before Pattaya police within a remarkably short period. Mr Kumar’s attack was reported as the third local mugging involving a foreign tourist within days.
On another front, police were dealing with an attempted robbery involving a 56-year-old Turkish tourist. That attack occurred on Soi Phra Tamnak 6 at approximately 2.49 am. Again, a mobile phone was targeted. Police subsequently arrested two teenagers in connection with that case.
Crucially, investigators had not linked those teenagers with the attack on Mr Kumar. Nor was there confirmation connecting them with either Russian case. Accordingly, the incidents remained separate investigations. Police had announced no evidence showing that one group carried out the wider series.
Even so, several circumstances overlap. The victims were foreign men in Pattaya and neighbouring areas. Several incidents occurred late at night or during the early morning. Moreover, violence or weapons featured in multiple cases. Property was also targeted during the attacks.
Foreign tourists face violent Pattaya robberies involving a sharp weapon, gun and attacks within days
In Mr Kumar’s case, one attacker wielded or threatened him with a sharp weapon. Minutes later, a Russian tourist faced a firearm during another robbery. Previously, another Russian had been beaten and robbed. In parallel, the Turkish case involved another attempted theft of a mobile phone.
For Mr Kumar, the immediate motive reported to police was robbery. The attackers tried to seize his phone and assaulted him when he resisted. Furthermore, the account given immediately afterwards described both men as apparently drunk. Police had announced no other motive.
The concentration of attacks has become a worrisome development around Pattaya and Jomtien. Several foreign men have figured in violent street crime investigations within days. Significantly, the incidents included beatings, a firearm and a sharp weapon. Police were therefore examining evidence across several separate cases.
The cases come amid increasingly visible disputes involving foreigners elsewhere in Thailand. However, police have presented no evidence connecting those developments with Mr Kumar’s attack. Neither have investigators established anti-foreigner sentiment as a motive. Instead, the available evidence in his case points directly towards robbery.
British victim fights off motorcycle robbers as Pattaya police piece together CCTV trail after attack
The attempted robbery was also particularly brazen. Two men approached together on a motorcycle during the early hours. One threatened Mr Kumar with a sharp weapon. Then both men attacked him while trying to seize his phone. Yet the British man continued resisting.
As a result, the robbers failed to obtain the property they targeted. Mr Kumar kept his phone throughout the struggle. However, the resistance came at a physical cost. He suffered bruising and a significant wound beside his left temple.
Once the attackers fled, the convenience store became an important point in the police timeline. Ms Duetdao encountered Mr Kumar immediately after the assault. She saw him injured and seeking assistance. Additionally, she received his account of the two attackers and their motorcycle.
Rescue records provide another fixed point in the sequence. The emergency call came at approximately 1.36 am. Sawang Boriboon personnel responded and treated the British man. At the same time, Pattaya City Police became involved in the case.
From there, CCTV became a major part of the investigation. Cameras around Jomtien Soi 15 may have recorded the attackers approaching or leaving. Furthermore, footage along adjoining roads could track their motorcycle through the area. Investigators can compare recordings from different locations.
CCTV and witness accounts drive hunt for motorcycle robbers as other foreigner attacks hit Pattaya
A visible registration plate could provide a major lead. Alternatively, the motorcycle’s appearance could help officers narrow their search. Its direction of travel could also reveal where the pair went after escaping. Police were continuing to trace the attackers for legal action.
At the same time, investigators were handling the other attacks involving foreign visitors. The Russian gunpoint robbery followed Mr Kumar’s assault within minutes. Another Russian had already been beaten and robbed the previous day. Elsewhere, the Turkish attempted robbery produced two teenage suspects.
Whether those investigations intersect remains unresolved. Police had not established that the same offenders carried out the attacks. Nevertheless, their concentration has placed street crime involving foreigners firmly under scrutiny in Pattaya. Investigators must now identify who carried out each offence.
Mr Kumar’s case provides police with several separate strands of evidence. First, investigators have his account of the assault. They also have Ms Duetdao’s account of his arrival at the shop. Additionally, rescue workers documented his injuries shortly afterwards. CCTV could now provide the crucial visual trail.
Sharp weapon, gun and beatings feature in spate of Pattaya street attacks involving foreign visitors
The injuries also show the force used during the robbery attempt. Mr Kumar was not merely threatened. He was beaten badly enough to suffer bruising across his body. Moreover, a sharp object apparently caused the wound between his temple and ear.
Yet the attackers escaped without the mobile phone they had targeted. They abandoned the robbery after Mr Kumar resisted and then fled together. Their motorcycle could now prove their biggest vulnerability. Cameras around Jomtien may have recorded their movements before or after the assault.
The wider timing adds further urgency to the police inquiries. Within days, foreign men from four nationalities featured in separate violent crime reports. British, Russian and Turkish visitors were among those targeted. In several cases, the attacks happened during the early hours.
Weapons also featured prominently. Mr Kumar faced a sharp weapon during the attempted phone robbery. A Russian tourist faced a gun minutes later. Another Russian was beaten during a separate robbery. Meanwhile, police made two teenage arrests following the attack on the Turkish tourist.
Pattaya police hunt motorcycle robbers as cluster of violent attacks involving foreign visitors grows
There remains no confirmed connection between those cases. Likewise, police have not identified a common motive beyond the individual robbery investigations. Nonetheless, the sudden cluster presents Pattaya police with several violent attacks involving foreigners within a narrow period.
For Anand Kumar, the sequence lasted from a roadside confrontation to an injured arrival at a convenience store. Two men rode alongside him and attempted to take his mobile phone. When he resisted, they beat him and threatened him with a sharp weapon. Still, they failed to get the phone.
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The pair then disappeared on their motorcycle before emergency workers arrived. Mr Kumar received first aid and was taken to hospital. Subsequently, police began searching CCTV footage and tracing the suspects’ escape route.
Now the hunt centres on identifying those two motorcycle-riding attackers. Meanwhile, Pattaya police face several other recent violent cases involving foreigners. Any link between them remains unconfirmed. Yet the compressed spate of attacks has become a worrisome development for Thailand’s major resort city.
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Further reading:
Pot shop worker attacks UK man on his motorbike over 29,200 baht fraud on Monday in broad daylight
Senior Bangkok police officer charged with armed robbery of Pathum Thani cannabis shop this week
