Thai police have arrested a Chinese tourist who allegedly stole a luxury bag with an AirTag tracker inside.

Airport officials were alerted to the alleged theft when a Thai woman reported the bag missing at the Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok on December 30.

The worried passenger said she had placed the bag in the overhead luggage compartment but it disappeared when the tourists left the plane.

An AirTag tracker had been dropped inside, which showed that the bag was no longer at the airport, but in the Soi King Kaew 43 area of Samut Prakan province on the outskirts of Bangkok.

Authorities checked the records of the passengers on the flight and found that a group of tourists had listed a hotel in the same area as their accommodation.

They identified the suspect as Jieling Shi, 30, from Beijing, China, who was seen on CCTV leaving the same plane as the Thai woman.

He was due to fly to Phnom Penh, Cambodia on Thai Airways flight TG-586 a few days later. Police notified the airlines and waited for Jieling to arrive at the airport for his scheduled flight.

The Chinese man was with his friends when he was detained by police. He allegedly denied stealing the Thai passenger's bag.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Thananchai Suebsrikhajornrat of the Royal Thai Police said Jieling was being held in custody as he allegedly refused to cooperate with authorities.

The officer said: 'The stolen bag was located to a property where the suspect was staying. When he checked on CCTV, it showed that he had left the airport with the bag.

'He will be deported once the prosecution is complete.'

Thailand has waived visa requirements for Chinese visitors to boost its tourism sector. The measures started on September 25 and run until February 29, 2024.