But first, Jerry Ee, 35, will have to settle with the Thai authorities an offence of overstaying in Thailand.

He turned himself in at the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok on Tuesday. It appears that he went to Thailand soon after a theft occurred at the Cortina store at Raffles City last Christmas.

Singaporeans do not need a visa to enter Thailand but need permission to stay beyond 30 days. It appears that his time ran out on Jan 26.

Thai law allows the offence to be compounded with a fine of 500 baht (S$21) for every day overstayed to a maximum sum of 20,000 baht. This is offered only to overstayers who come forward voluntarily.

Ee, a senior supervisor at Cortina's Raffles City store, allegedly made off with 386 watches of six designer brands - Audemars Piguet, Girard-Perregaux, Panerai, Patek Philippe, Rolex and Vacheron Constantin - and 194 guarantee cards.

The loss of the watches and his disappearance made him a wanted man. International police network Interpol alerted its 187 member nations to arrest him on the spot if he was found, and extradite him to Singapore.

According to sources, he fled to Malaysia by road before flying to Bangkok, a place he frequented several times a year with friends.

This time, however, he did not check into his usual hotel, Ratchada City Hotel, according to checks by The Straits Times. On Tuesday, he surfaced at the embassy with his lawyer and a childhood friend who is married to a Thai and lives in Singapore.

Ee also turned in more than 200 watches, some of which sell for up to $500,000 apiece.

Read the full story in Thursday's edition of the Straits Times.