Lam Luk Ka: A lone robber has been arrested for stealing gold worth 113 baht from a shopping mall in the Lam Luk Ka area. The suspect confessed to pawning some of the stolen gold and purchasing gold smelting equipment to deceive authorities.
According to Thai News Agency, the police took the suspect to reenact the crime scene at a gold shop inside the mall and at a car dump in Thanyaburi, Pathum Thani Province. The arrest occurred at a shopping mall in Bang Khae, where evidence including 58 baht worth of gold, 107,320 baht in cash, pawn tickets, clothing, and the motorcycle used in the robbery was seized.
Pol. Lt. Gen. Akkaradet Phimonsri, Assistant Commissioner-General of the Royal Thai Police, alongside Pol. Lt. Gen. Surapol Prembut, Commander of Provincial Police Region 1, and the Investigation Division of Provincial Police Region 1 Headquarters, announced the results of the arrest. Pol. Lt. Gen. Surapol disclosed that during interrogation, the suspect admitted to all charges. The suspect initially traveled to Pathum Thani province due to connections in the area and scouted the gold shop, assessing security and planning an escape route. After the theft, he disposed of the motorcycle in a canal in Thanyaburi and hid in communities lacking CCTV surveillance, even altering his appearance by cutting his hair to evade capture.
While evading capture, the suspect pawned some of the gold, melted it into gold bars, and distributed it among two friends before sending it via parcel to his wife in Songkhla Province to minimize evidence. He also contacted his wife to request 10,000 baht for purchasing gold melting equipment and clothes for disguise purposes.
The suspect admitted to committing the crime out of financial necessity. He chose Pathum Thani Province to avoid detection in his hometown of Songkhla, fearing that familiarity would aid law enforcement in tracking him. He also revealed past gambling trips to Tachilek, Myanmar, and intentions to flee to a neighboring country post-crime, suggesting the stolen funds might have been intended for gambling activities. Following the reenactment and confession, the suspect will be presented at Thanyaburi Court for detention.