Banglamung police nab suspects for 10 million baht factory theft

Banglamung police apprehended four suspects involved in the theft of large machinery from a recycling factory in the Banglamung area. Acting on a tip-off from the factory owner, who reported that several individuals were stealing and damaging property, over 20 officers moved in and caught the suspects in the act, attempting to move steel pipes weighing nearly 20 kilograms.

The suspects, identified as 35 year old Wacharakorn, 33 year old Krailas, 54 year old Somsak, and 22 year old Chaichana, were found with cutting tools, a Toyota pickup truck, and other equipment used in the theft.

One suspect reportedly confessed that they had been hired by an unidentified individual who communicated solely by phone to collect scrap metal from the site and sell it in Rayong. The workers claimed they had never met their employer in person and did not know his real name.

An inspection of the factory revealed significant damage, including dismantled vehicle parts such as axles, radiators, and fuel tanks. The JCB machinery at the factory had been heavily damaged, and a 250 kV transformer was stolen.

Factory walls, nearly 5 metres tall, were broken through in several places to facilitate the theft. Police estimated the total damage at close to 10 million baht (US$301,600).

The following day, during a police and media visit to the site, a suspicious black pickup truck was spotted entering a nearby cassava field. Inside were men claiming to have been hired to cut large machinery parts, similar to the previous thefts.

The first driver stated he was only following orders but became unreachable by his employer once they arrived at the site. This individual later claimed that his employer was a police officer, with police later confirming that a lieutenant was under investigation, reported The Pattaya News.

Police are expanding the inquiry to determine if the same group is responsible for multiple thefts at abandoned factories in the area.