Police stopped the pickup truck of Anon Thongrod on Phaholyothin Road in Tambon Tha Chanuan at 1.30am. He had allegedly cut and stolen the cables from Tambon Khung Samphao in Chai Nat's Manorom district.
Police found 31 pieces of 1.30-metre-long cables and one 14-metre-long cable at the back of his pickup.
Anon told police that he worked as janitor at a school in Nakhon Sawan but he could not make ends meet as he had to buy diapers and baby food for his newborn.
He said it was the second time he had stolen the fibre optic cables.