An Australian man was allegedly stabbed and robbed of thousands of dollars after inviting two teenage girls back to his hotel room in Pattaya, Thailand, according to local police reports.
The victim, identified by the Bangkok Post as Alikosh Ghulam, reportedly met the two individuals and brought them to his hotel room before the situation escalated into violence on Monday.
Police said the 45-year-old believed the pair were women and had invited them to his room. However, an argument allegedly broke out after he discovered they were transgender.
Investigators said one of the teenagers allegedly pushed him into a bathroom and stabbed him in the shoulder with a pair of scissors, leaving him injured and in shock before both suspects fled with around US$6,000 in cash.
The victim later sought medical treatment and filed a police report following the incident.
Thai authorities said CCTV footage helped track down the suspects to a luxury condominium in Pattaya, located about 150km from Bangkok.
Two teenagers, aged 16 and 17, were arrested and allegedly admitted involvement in the incident. They were later charged with armed robbery.
Police also confirmed that scissors believed to have been used in the attack, along with some of the stolen cash, were recovered from the condo.
Authorities said such incidents were increasingly concerning for Pattaya’s tourism image, noting that crimes occurring inside private hotel rooms remain difficult to prevent.
Thailand remains a major travel destination for Australians, with hundreds of thousands visiting annually as tourism continues to recover and grow in the region.
