Police confident of finding man who ate and ran at Jay Fai’s eatery
Bangkok’s Samranrat Police Station is investigating a complaint that a man posing as a plainclothes police officer made away with a food order worth 1,500 baht from the eatery of well-known street-food chef, Jay Fai.
Pol Colonel Tossapon Ampaipipatkul, superintendent of the station, said on Thursday that an initial investigation found that the perpetrator was not, in fact, an officer under his supervision.
He also said that after questioning Jay Fai, whose real name is Supinya Jansuta, and other witnesses, “I believe we will catch the perpetrator with no difficulty.”
Jay Fai’s Instagram account (@jayfaibangkok) on Thursday posted a message that a customer claiming to be a police inspector on an urgent duty had jumped the queue and ordered a takeaway without paying. The post added that the chef’s daughter filed a complaint with the Samranrat Police Station after the incident.
Tossapon said that the complainant was shown photos of all officers at the police station, and none of them was identified as the perpetrator.
According to Jay Fai’s daughter, who did not share her identity, the perpetrator appeared to be in his 50s to 60s and about 160 centimetres tall, wearing civilian clothes and claiming to be on an urgent police mission. She allowed him to sit at a table, cutting through a long queue of waiting customers.
The man ordered a takeaway of the shop’s signature dish, crab meat omelette, and Pad Kaprao (stir-fried holy basil) with beef, together priced at 1,500 baht. He later disappeared with the food while the eatery’s staff were busy with other customers.
Jay Fai’s daughter said that no security cameras had been installed as cases like this were rare. She added that some customers had failed to pay the full price of the food they were served.
Jay Fai, 72, has run her streetside restaurant, located in Bangkok’s Phra Nakhon district, for over 35 years. The food shop has been recognised by the Michelin Guide for seven consecutive years starting in 2018. It is well known among locals and foreign tourists alike. During peak hours, the queue of waiting customers often exceeds 200.
