Over 40 million baht in valuables stolen from Thai businesswoman

The theft of over 40 million baht worth of cash, diamonds, and gold from a prominent businesswoman’s home in Phetchaburi has sent shockwaves through the community, with close associates being eyed as potential suspects. On the evening of yesterday, May 4, local police were alerted to the robbery at a two-story concrete residence in the Mueang Phetchaburi district.

Virunpat Vichittapanyarak, a 68 year old construction contractor, well-known in the area, discovered the break-in upon her return from Chiang Mai, where she had been staying since late April. Her 47 year old daughter, Aunchalee Vichittapanyarak, and 41 year old son-in-law, Manop Boonpasawai, who usually live at the same address, were abroad during the Songkran festival and had just returned.

At the scene, Virunpat noticed a new key in a drawer outside her bedroom, which she found suspicious as the drawer normally did not have a lock and was accessible to her housekeeper for cleaning. Upon forcing the drawer open, she found that 500,000 baht (US$13,600) in cash, previously kept in a bank paper bag, had been stolen. Additionally, approximately 30 baht weight in gold, previously stored in a cloth bag, was also missing, though the bag itself was left behind by the thief.

Further examination revealed that around 40 million baht (US$ 1 million) worth of valuables, including 1 million baht (US$27,000) in cash, about 20 diamond rings each valued at over 1 million baht (US$27,000), over 50 baht weight in gold ornaments, seven jade stones worth approximately 1.89 million baht (US$51,000), seven diamond necklaces totalling around 14 million baht (US$380,000), and several gold-framed amulets, had vanished.

Manop reported that during his absence from April 10 to April 17, the housekeeper noticed irregularities such as an open bathroom door and switched-off lights, which were usually left on. He suggested that the heist must have been executed by someone familiar with the property and its contents, as no other parts of the house were disturbed.

The family’s suspicions were further fuelled by the fact that the security cameras had been non-functional for almost a year, reported KhaoSod.

The victims and police are now urging local jewellers, diamond shops, and amulet collectors to be vigilant and report any suspicious attempts to sell the stolen items. The police are investigating the close associates of the family, and the victims hope that the culprits who took their lifelong savings will be apprehended soon.

They are seeking public cooperation in identifying any unusual transactions that cannot be accounted for, and reporting them to the local police or calling the emergency number 191.