Gambling den security guard says no shoot out occurred

A security guard robbed during a shoot-out last week at a Samut Prakan gambling den has reported to the police. Wutthipong Khotsaen was wanted for unlawful possession of a weapon and discharging it illegally in a public place.

The 28 year old Wutthipong reported to Muang police station, on Monday.

The shoot-out came to light when the community Facebook page Sai Mai Tong Rod (Sai Mai District Must Survive) reported that armed men robbed a gambling den on the night of November 9, leading to a shoot-out that the administrator of the page said left one person dead and one wounded. The robbers reportedly got away with 400,000 baht (US$11,000).

Pol Gen Surachate “Big Joke” Hakparn, a top corruption buster, spoke with the Facebook page administrator and sent a team to investigate. They found there had been a shooting at an illegal gambling den but no one had died.

The revelation led to the suspension of four senior officers including station chief Pol Col Termrat Jindawat. Termrat falsely claimed that he had not been informed about the incident.

Wutthipong told police that he and two assistants had been working as guards inside the gambling den for two days.

He said seven men arrived on motorcycles late on November 9 and parked their bikes in front of the premises. Two armed men entered the building while another five stood out front. The two men who went inside shouted at everyone to lie down before robbing them.

Before leaving, the men fired two shots into the air, according to the guard.

Wutthipong claims to have fired two shots in the air in response. He insisted nobody was killed or injured.

The robbers then fled on their motorcycles.

On Friday, the owner of the alleged gambling venue told police he heard a gunshot inside the restaurant. He went to investigate but did not see anyone injured or a shooter.