Pattaya gold shop robbery suspect finally caught in South Korea

The suspect involved in the high-profile gold shop robbery in Pattaya has been apprehended, according to an announcement by the Region 2 Police. The accused had been on the run since the incident took place on November 9 last year, at the Aurora Gold Shop’s Pattaya South branch.

The audacious robbery, which saw two trays of gold valued at over a million baht stolen, was meticulously planned, but relentless police investigative work ensured the perpetrator did not evade justice.

Sunthorn, the accused, is reported to have entered the shop under the guise of a potential purchaser, expressing interest in a 3-baht gold necklace. After loitering around the shop for a while, he produced a firearm, intimidated the shop’s employees, and fled with two trays of gold weighing 34 baht in total, worth 1,075,000 baht (US$29,600).

The thief’s planning extended to the escape route, as he was a local who knew the area well and could avoid main roads, making the tracking task more challenging for the Pattaya City Police.

The subsequent investigation took two weeks, involving the examination of over 150 CCTV cameras along a 210-kilometre route. The breakthrough came when the police discovered discarded clothes and the weapon used in the heist. Ground-level detective work followed, tracing the origins of the items used in the crime. The investigation revealed that the suspect had fled to South Korea, reported KhaoSod.

The arrest was made possible through the cooperation of Interpol, the international criminal police organisation comprising 194 countries, including Thailand and South Korea. One of Interpol’s key roles is to facilitate cooperation between the police forces of the originating and destination countries in cross-border crime cases. It involves issuing a Red Notice, a global alert to hunt and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition.

The Region 2 Police received excellent cooperation from the National Police Agency of the Republic of Korea and Interpol, leading to the arrest of the suspect in South Korea. The gold shop robbery that shocked Pattaya has finally seen justice served with the apprehension of the suspect.

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