Hospital theft: loot stolen by men posing as relatives recovered from sewer

Two individuals, notorious for their thefts within hospitals, were arrested in a rented room in Trang province after trying to flush the evidence. The suspects are accused of a series of thefts carried out in various hospitals, impersonating patients’ relatives.

Upon arrest today by officers from the Thung Song police station in Nakhon Si Thammarat, they were caught with some cash and some gold.

Yesterday, a 67 year old woman, Ab Saenglok from Thung Song, Nakhon Si Thammarat, reported a theft at the Thung Song police station. The woman was taking care of her ailing son at the hospital and reported the loss of several items from her bag including a pair of gold rings weighing one baht each, a gold necklace weighing one baht, another gold necklace weighing half a baht, cash amounting to 34,000 baht, and a mobile phone. The suspected theft presumably took place while she was asleep at the hospital.

Consequently, the hospital and local police officials collaborated, reviewing the hospital’s CCTV which provided leads on the theft culprits – 35 year old Ekapun and 32 year old Preeprat. The pair appearing to be involved in the theft, confirmed to have relocated and rented a house in Trang province, reported KhaoSod.

On locating the suspects in Trang, the local police coordinated an immediate, thorough search of the premises. As a last-ditch effort to avoid being caught, the suspect stashed the stolen goods in the bathroom sewer when officers arrived.

A suction truck, summoned by the Trang City Municipality, dredged up all of the stolen items, which were then secured as evidence. The miscreants had spent 2,000 baht out of the total stolen cash but 32,000 baht remained in the stash.

Both thieves were taken to the Thung Song police station, where it was discovered that they had committed similar offences in both Trang and Nakhon Si Thammarat provinces. On all occasions, the thefts had been pulled off by tricking hospital officials by posing as patients’ relatives to gain unrestricted access across the wards and patient rooms. Once in, they would steal valuable possessions of patients’ families during their distraction.

The police invite potential victims of the same modus operandi to come forward to help them identify the criminals and further hospital thefts to ensure justice.