Police yesterday arrested an Egyptian man for stalking and sexually assaulting a Thai woman in the lift of a condominium in Bangkok on Friday, November 16.
The 25 year old victim, identified only as Ann, shared CCTV footage of the incident on her TikTok account, @khun_ning. The video was widely reshared by several Thai media outlets. Ann already reported the sexual assault to Makkasan Police Station but shared the video online to ask netizens for help in locating the man.
Ann later told the media that the foreigner followed her from an entertainment venue and entered the same lift as her. He exited on the same floor, which made her suspicious of his intentions.
Deciding not to enter her condo room, Ann returned to the lift to go down to the lobby and seek help. The foreign man revealed his intentions by following her into the lift again and sexually assaulting her.
Ann reported to the police that the man groped her breasts before the lift arrived at the lobby, where she managed to escape.
Police launched a search for the foreign man and eventually identified him as 36 year old Sameh, an Egyptian national residing in a condominium in Soi Ramkamhaeng 4. Police visited his residence yesterday, November 20.
Officers encountered Sameh but faced a language barrier, so he was summoned to the police station for questioning with the assistance of an interpreter. The Egyptian man admitted to his illegal actions. However, the police did not disclose the charges or punishment issued against him.
In a similar case reported in September, a Thai man was arrested for stalking and raping a Thai woman at her condominium in the Isaan province of Nakhon Ratchasima. The suspect followed the victim and her friend before entering the victim’s unlocked room to commit the crime after her friends left.
The suspect reportedly bragged that he stalked and raped more than 20 women in the province, exploiting situations where the victims were intoxicated.
ORIGINAL STORY: Foreign man flees after sexually assaulting Thai woman in condo lift
A Thai woman took to social media to seek help in locating a foreign suspect who allegedly stalked and sexually assaulted her in the lift of her condominium.
The victim shared CCTV footage of the incident on her TikTok account, @khun_ning. In the video, the foreign man, wearing a red long-sleeved shirt, is seen entering the condominium premises on his motorcycle, shortly followed by the victim on her motorcycle.
The suspect managed to bypass the security guard post with ease, leading the victim to assume he was a resident of the condominium. Once inside, the man followed the victim into the building and joined her in the lift. He exited the lift on the same floor as the victim, arousing her suspicion.
The victim decided against entering her room and instead returned to the lift to go back to the lobby. The foreign man followed her into the lift again and began speaking to her. He then touched her face and other parts of her body and attempted to grab her hands.
The woman appeared frightened and immediately ran out of the lift as soon as it reached the lobby floor. The foreign suspect then left the condominium on his motorcycle.
The victim later gave an interview with Channel 8, revealing that the incident occurred late at night when she returned home from work. She insisted that she did not know the man and had never met him before.
The incident sparked criticism of the condominium’s security team, as the footage showed the suspect entering the premises with no proper checks.
Some netizens blamed the victim for wearing revealing clothing and allegedly putting herself in a dangerous situation. These comments were widely condemned by the online community for victim blaming.
The woman later removed the footage from her TikTok account, stating that it caused distress to various parties, including the condominium management and the security team. She expressed hope that her interviews with the media would be sufficient for the police to apprehend the suspect.
The nationality of the foreigner has not yet been confirmed but the victim suspected him to be from a Middle Eastern country.
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