Loei: Police escorted two suspects to reenact the crime after they confessed to using a gas cylinder to break into a gold shop in Wang Saphung District, Loei Province, and stealing over 300,000 baht worth of valuables. It is believed they needed the money to redeem a rubber plantation for their ex-wife.
According to Thai News Agency, CCTV footage from 2:48 AM on August 28th shows two suspects, Mr. Ekaphon, or "Tong," 41, riding a motorcycle with Mr. Nattawut, or "Ball," 25, as a passenger. They parked in front of the gold shop, both wearing balaclavas to conceal their faces and carrying guns. Upon arrival, Mr. Nattawut unloaded a gas cylinder from the motorcycle and used it to blow open the lock on the metal rolling door, allowing them to enter, ransack, and steal from the Mae Phaijit 5 gold shop in Ban Na Lak, Wang Saphung District, Loei Province. Initial findings indicate they stole a large quantity of gold-plated rings, silver necklaces, and earrings, valued at over 300,000 baht.
This afternoon, investigators from Wang Saphung Police Station, Loei Province, took the two suspects to reenact the crime after arresting Mr. Nattawut, or Ball, in Khok Mon village. Mr. Ekaphon, or Tong, was brought in by his mother to turn himself in. The reenactment took place in front of the gold shop, with police officers providing security amidst a crowd of onlookers.
The reenactment began with the two riding a motorcycle to the front of the gold shop, carrying a gas cylinder to cut the lock on the shop's rolling door in order to steal items. The officers spent about 20 minutes reenacting the crime before taking them back for further questioning.
During questioning, both suspects confessed. Ekaphon, or "To," was their leader. Before the incident on August 28th, they stole a black Honda motorcycle with Bangkok license plates to use in the crime before persuading Nattawut, or "Ball," to join in. After obtaining the gold, they hid in a nearby wooded area and divided the stolen goods equally before separating and fleeing. They had previously burned some of the gold rings to verify their authenticity, but it turned out to be fake. The clothes they wore on the day of the incident were also burned. Initially, authorities counted the recovered items: 102 silver necklaces, 298 gold-plated rings, 100 gold-plated silver earrings, and a gas torch and rebar, with an estimated value of 300,000 baht. They have been initially charged with jointly committing theft at night using a vehicle and a firearm.
The owner of Mae Phaijit 5 gold shop thanked the authorities for quickly apprehending the thief. The stolen property is valued at approximately 300,000 baht. The shop will now have a new, stronger door installed.
The mother of Ekaphon, or Tong, the suspect, revealed that yesterday evening she tried to persuade her son, who was on an island in the middle of the water within the village, to surrender, but to no avail. Around midnight, her son came home, knelt at her feet, apologized, and asked her to take him to turn himself in. She stated that her son had committed crimes before when he was a teenager. The motive is believed to stem from her son's ex-wife mortgaging their rubber plantation to a loan shark for 800,000 baht, and he was unable to redeem it. He then resorted to breaking into the gold shop hoping to get the money to pay off the plantation for his ex-wife.