Thai fortune teller allegedly steals woman's iPhone after saying she'll soon lose a valuable possession

A Thai fortune teller, 38, in Pattaya was arrested after allegedly stealing a woman's phone on New Year's Day.

The man, later identified as Udomsap Mueangkaew, had been dressed up like an elderly person and was sitting on a mat outside a temple.

According to Thai media, he would call on passersby to use his fortune-telling services.

One woman felt sorry for him, so she approached him on New Year's Day for some fortune-telling.

The man told her that she would soon face bad luck and lose a valuable possession, suggesting she part with some money to prevent this from happening.

She declined.

After the reading ended, she walked away but soon realised her iPhone was missing. She returned to the fortune teller.

According to Khaosod, he told her to take this as a sign that his fortune-telling was incredibly accurate.

He also described in detail the appearance of the "thief".

Getting suspicious, the woman immediately sought help from workers and members of the public, and eventually, the phone was discovered in the man's bag. The police were then called in.

The police took him into custody, along with his fortune-telling equipment.

Image from Khaosod