Bangkok: Police are being praised for apprehending two robbers who looted a famous gold shop in Chok Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima, in less than eight hours. The suspects, who are Chinese nationals, claimed they were tricked into working as drone repairers before running out of money except for 20 baht. A reenactment of the crime is scheduled for this afternoon.
According to Thai News Agency, following a raid by investigators from Metropolitan Police Division 4, Metropolitan Police Division 5, Phra Khanong Police Station, and Prawet Police Station, 27-year-old Su Jintao and 19-year-old Song Haolong, suspects in a gold shop robbery in the Dan Kwian area, Chok Chai District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, who fled to Bangkok, were apprehended yesterday evening at a car rental location in Sukhumvit Soi 77. More than 30 gold rings were recovered as evidence.
This incident occurred at approximately 10:21 AM yesterday. Two male suspects, both wearing balaclavas, black long-sleeved shirts, and shorts, threatened the gold shop employees with a gun before using a hammer to smash the glass display case and stealing over 20-30 gold rings worth approximately 300,000-400,000 baht. They then fled in a car towards Chokchai intersection, causing panic as the crime occurred in broad daylight.
Later that evening, the perpetrators appeared at a car rental tent in the area under the jurisdiction of Prawet Police Station. They had rented a car there before committing the robbery. After the gold heist, they used the rented car to escape. Authorities coordinated a continuous pursuit, starting from Ayutthaya Province and coordinating with Bangkok Metropolitan Police. They also contacted the car rental owner to buy time while the perpetrators returned the vehicle, eventually apprehending them. They were then taken to Prawet Police Station for initial questioning before being transferred to Chokchai Police Station, the jurisdiction where the crime occurred, for further legal proceedings.
This morning, Pol. Lt. Col. Prachya Nimala, Deputy Superintendent (Investigation) of Chokchai Police Station, escorted the two suspects for separate questioning before conducting a reenactment of the crime this afternoon. A Chinese interpreter was present during the questioning. Both suspects appeared quite tense.
The confiscated items included 44 gold rings weighing a total of 156.9 grams and 24 pairs (44 pieces) of gold earrings weighing a total of 119 grams, with a value of 700,000 to 800,000 baht. Initially, the officers charged the suspects with "jointly committing robbery with a weapon, by damaging obstacles or protective measures, and by using a vehicle to facilitate the crime, the removal of the stolen property, or to evade arrest."
During initial questioning, both suspects claimed they were lured online to work repairing drones in Thailand for a high wage of up to US$40,000 per drone (approximately 1,300,000 Thai baht). Since they already had a drone repair job, they decided to travel with an assistant and rented a car to follow the GPS coordinates they received. However, upon reaching the Cambodian border, they became frightened and hesitated to proceed. Their employer then sent new coordinates to Mae Sot district in Tak province, but they still were too afraid to go further. Eventually, they ran out of money, with only 20 baht left, and decided to commit the gold robbery to sell for cash. They admitted to selling some of the gold for 16,800 baht.
A background check on the suspects revealed that on April 26th, they had attempted a similar robbery at a gold shop in Ban Lueam District, Nakhon Ratchasima Province. CCTV footage from a convenience store in Ban Lueam District captured the face of one of the two suspects standing at the counter to pay for items, but the opportunity was not right, so the robbery did not occur.
Mr. Surasak Jirawongpaisan, the owner of the gold shop, thanked the police for quickly tracking down the perpetrators. He added that his employees are still frightened by the incident and that they will be more cautious to prevent similar occurrences in the future.