A French tourist was caught by angry locals after this audacious theft when he tried to steal the new Huawei P30.<br /><br />Meriem Laurent, 40, walked into the store in Pattaya, Thailand, last night at 7.30pm posing as a customer and asked to see the Chinese handset.<br /><br />But moments later he ripped the smartphone from its holder and fled - only to be set upon by furious shopkeepers. <br /><br />Several passers-by helped to restrain the man before police arrived and arrested him for ‘’theft at night’’. He was later charged with visa-related offenses.<br /><br />Lieutenant General Jaropwan Thongsang, Deputy Governor of Pattaya City, said officers arrived at the scene after being told a foreigner had tried to steal a phone.<br /><br />He said: ‘'At the scene, we found shopkeepers and many Good Samaritans controlling the suspect. He was later identified as Meriem Laurent, 40, of French nationality. <br /><br />''Surveillance cameras showed the suspect stealing a Huawei brand, model P30, blue color, number 1, worth 31,900 baht.<br /><br />''He was also found to be staying in the Kingdom without permission. He will be prosecuted according to the legal process.''
