This is the dramatic moment a hero shopkeeper foiled a suspected thief trying to steal her bag.

Tatsanee Charoenchai was preparing to open her restaurant when the masked man sneaked inside as she was preparing dishes in Singburi, Thailand, at around 5am on October 28.

CCTV footage shows the suspect hiding next to a refrigerator as Tatsanee walked by carrying a plate of food without seeing him. He tiptoed behind her to grab her purse in the kitchen, but was caught when she turned around to continue cooking.

The brave store owner, unfazed by the knife the lanky robber brandished, ran after him as he rushed outside to flee. Before he could drive away, Tatsanee shoved his motorcycle, pinning his leg on the ground.

More employees arrived to surround the suspect, who hurled the purse back and escaped the scene empty-handed.

Fearless Tatsanee said: 'The thief tossed my purse aside and said, ‘I won't take it anymore, you take it back!' before riding away on his Yamaha M-Slaz. He also left behind the kitchen knife he used to threaten me.

'All of my money was still in the purse. Most of it is 20-baht banknotes, totalling 500 baht, which I received as change after grocery shopping.

‘It's tough because there are so many criminals recently, so we have to be very careful.'

The shopkeeper said she filed a daily report at the Singburi Provincial Police Station, fearing that the thief might return.

Thailand has moderate theft rates, with incidents usually focused in urban centers and popular tourist destinations like Bangkok, Phuket, and Pattaya.