A quick-thinking gold shop assistant stopped a thief with a flying kick.

The assistant said the robber looked anxious when he posed as a buyer in their shop in Nakhon Sawan province, Thailand on March 4.

He even grew suspicious when the man identified as Fon Pasit, 38, walked back and forth from the counter until the suspect allegedly fled with their 15.16-gram gold necklace worth 30,000 baht (690 GBP).

However, the assistant had been watching closely and was able to keep up with the running man until he was able to take him down with a flying kick.

The shop worker, who did not want to be named, said: 'The man looked suspicious in many ways. He walked back and forth several times before actually entering the shop. He also lied to me that he had to ask his wife who was apparently standing outside the store.

‘He told me he had 30,000 baht so I showed him a different gold necklace that matched his budget. Then what I expected happened, he tried running away with the necklace but luckily we stopped him.'

The department store security helped pin the suspect down until authorities arrived and arrested him. CCTV footage showing him at the store was also taken as evidence by the police.

In the video, he was seen at the Mee Tung gold shop and pretended to be interested in buying the necklace but ran away while the staff was distracted.

He wore a long-sleeve shirt, mask, and a cap as he sprinted away from the gold shop but was stopped by another staff member who had been watching the incident from afar. The staff kicked Fon in the leg, making him fall.

Fon was detained and taken to the police station for questioning. He said: 'I was struggling to find a job and I wanted to go back to Nong Khai province because I miss my children. I wanted the gold so I could sell it and buy a ticket back for my family. I walked from the train station to the mall for 7 kilometres.'

Despite pleading for mercy, Police Lieutenant Colonel Kanwara Chaengsawang said the man would still be charged accordingly.

She said: 'No weapons were found on the culprit. He has been charged with theft.'