A fake police officer arrested after stealing from a Michelin-starred restaurant in Thailand

A man posing as an undercover police officer has defrauded a Michelin-starred street food restaurant in Bangkok.

Celebrity chef Jay Fai, 78, posted on her Instagram account that she was looking for a man who claimed to be a police officer on an urgent case.

The individual cut a long queue, ordered several takeaway meals and left without paying his 2,310 baht (59.49 euros) bill on Thursday afternoon, February 29, she explained.

For the record, the man had ordered his famous crab omelet to take away and beef pat kaphrao ( stir-fried with basil leaves ) to eat in.

Jay Fai then filed a complaint at the Samran Rat police station.

The police, after reviewing security videos of the area, quickly found the individual who had dared to rob the famous restaurant the next day.

He was questioned before being taken to the restaurant, where he apologized to the owner.

He said he had no intention of not paying the bill.

He simply forgot to pay because he was in a hurry to pick up his car from a garage where it was being repaired.

The man was not an inspector, but a retired local authority officer who claims to have memory problems, said Colonel Todsapol Ampaipiphatkul, the superintendent of the Samran Rat station.

Jay Fai did not file a complaint, but said she would ensure her staff were more diligent in collecting payments in the future.

However, officers said they would investigate further as the man posed as a police officer.

According to Todsapol, eating in a restaurant without paying constitutes theft under Article 345 of the Penal Code, punishable by a fine of up to 5,000 baht (129 euros) and/or imprisonment of up to three months.

Jay Fai is the owner of the restaurant of the same name in the Pratu Phi area of ​​Phra Nakhon district.

Her cuisine has been beloved by connoisseurs for decades, but she shot to global fame when her humble restaurant was awarded a star in the Bangkok Michelin guide in 2018.

Since then, it has been a must-see on the itineraries of celebrities, from Russell Crowe to Ed Sheeran.

Her Michelin star has been renewed every year for the past 7 years and the famous Thai singer Lisa, from the South Korean group Black Pink, came to personally congratulate her in December 2023 for her new star.

Lisa and the chef at Jay Fai restaurant in Bangkok. Photo: Instagram – jayfaibangkok

Watch: Blackpink's Lisa congratulates restaurant chef Jay Fai on her Michelin star

Source: Bangkok Post