A Dutch tourist was allegedly caught stealing an expensive pair of trousers from a clothing store in Bangkok.

The female suspect browsed through piles of vintage clothes before entering the fitting room with the green pants worth 7,900 baht (170 GBP).

She appeared to try on different garments and later emerged to return them to the staff.

CCTV footage shows the bob-wearing blonde woman innocently chatting with employees as she left the shop on August 10.

However, store owner Mod claimed she had made off with a pair of 1950s US Army Baker Pants that she noticed were missing during inventory checks.

Mod said: 'She was in the store for about half an hour, took the green pants, and covered them with other pairs of jeans. She went to the fitting room and tried on clothes. When she came out, she returned them all except for the green ones, which he she had bundled under her top.

'Normally, foreign thieves would not return after stealing but this one is stupid. She came back to destroy evidence at another store, allowing us to find her.'

Mod said she and other store owners were able to catch the tourist as she was boarding a taxi the next day. However, police said they could not arrest the Dutch woman because they needed a warrant to detain her.

The alleged thief was frantic as she was about to miss her flight home. She begrudgingly agreed to pay 12,000 baht to all three stores she reportedly stole from.

A disgruntled Mod said: 'The Dutch tourist was supposed to pay 79,000 baht under our store policy requiring her to pay ten times the value of the stolen item. I received 8,000 baht, which is better than nothing.

'She couldn't be arrested because the incidents occurred on different days. We had to wait for a warrant, but she would be gone from Thailand by the time it is issued. The law is so lax.'

She urged for stricter laws to prevent similar incidents from occurring to other business owners.