An Indonesian woman who was holidaying in France took matters into her own hands and went after a thief who had stolen her wallet while onboard a train.
She later shared a clip of her preventing the thief from escaping while waiting for police to arrive, which has since garnered over 66,000 likes at the time of writing.
Started off with a kind deed
Speaking to WeirdKaya, the OP, who wanted to be known as @rawis_fam, said she was in a fully crowded train with her family and that her son had initially reserved the last empty seat for her.
At that moment, three women, two of whom were pregnant, boarded the train. When @rawis_fam saw the pregnant women, she told her son to give up the empty seat for one of them.
One of the pregnant women then took the empty seat while the other pregnant woman stood next to @rawis_fam. As for the third woman, she stood close to the train door.
Warning bells
@rawis_fam told WeirdKaya she felt something amiss when she laid eyes on the trio as she noticed a troubling feature.
I whispered to my husband and told him the women seemed to look exactly like those pickpockets I’ve seen in Instagram reels.
“I immediately went to check my bag to find my wallet and it was gone.
“I then asked the woman who sat in the seat originally reserved for me whether she had stolen my wallet. Although she said no, there was panic all across her face as she probably thought I wouldn’t check my bag so quickly,” she said.
Indonesian woman bravely chases after thief
As soon as the train reached the next stop, all three women immediately got out, prompting @rawis_fam and her husband to chase after them.
However, it was anything but easy as she had to embark on a wild goose chase which saw her entering and exiting the train a total of three times before she finally caught up with the woman who stole her wallet.
“I ran after her up the stairs and grabbed her cardigan. Although she denied being involved, I told her that I had seen her boarding the train with the two pregnant women and talking to them.
After more than an hour, the woman finally cracked and confessed to the theft, which saw her contacting her accomplice to return @rawis_fam’s wallet.
Decided not to press charges
When the woman’s friend appeared and returned the wallet, she begged @rawis_fam to let both of them go, but she didn’t do so until police arrived.
The police took a photo of my passport and asked what action I wanted to take against the pickpocket. I chose not to press charges and requested the police to tell the women not to do the same thing again.
“As a result of the theft, I lost over 70€ (approx. RM344),” she said.
When asked what advice she had for female travelers looking to vacation overseas, @rawis_fam urged them to carry two wallets (one for their cards and another for cash), use a cross body bag, and be aware of their surroundings.
Watch the clip here:
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