Robbery turns deadly in Suphan Buri: Man shot as thieves demand gold

A tragic incident unfolded in central Thailand yesterday, as a 42 year old man was fatally shot during a home robbery. Two unidentified men, one slim and the other fat, burst into the victim’s bedroom demanding gold. The culprits, who were helmeted and unrecognisable, took the homeowner’s gold jewellery before fleeing the scene.

The incident took place around 8.30pm in a single-storey concrete home in Sri Prachan district of Suphan Buri province. The front of the house served as a grocery store while the rear housed the kitchen and bedrooms. The lifeless body of the victim, Wanchalerm, was found in his bedroom. He sustained a gunshot wound to the ear from a 9mm bullet, which had lodged in his neck. The gruesome scene was awash with blood, and two 9mm bullet casings were found on the bedroom floor, serving as crucial evidence.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that the home invaders were two men, one fat man and the other slim. They arrived on a motorbike of an unknown brand and registration number. Their faces were hidden by cloth helmets, and they boldly entered the house, making straight for the victim’s bedroom without any hesitation.

At the time of the incident, the victim was resting, and watching television with his wife and their six year old son. The robbers questioned the victim about the location of the gold. The victim, thinking it was a friend winding him up, responded, “I’m not feeling well, I’m going to sleep.”

The intruders then used their firearms to shoot the victim twice, causing his instant death. They then snatched a 5 baht gold necklace from his wife and a 2 baht gold necklace from his son, which were hanging at the head of the bed, before hastily retreating.

The victim’s wife, who was in the room during the incident, heard the gunshot and the invaders asking about the gold. She heard another gunshot, but being short-sighted, she didn’t notice anything until she found her glasses and saw her husband lying dead, reported KhaoSod.

Kut Raksanit, the village headman, said he was informed about the incident around 8.30pm. He described the deceased as a sociable person who enjoyed cockfighting. His mother called him, crying, asking him to hurry to the shop because her son had been killed. When he arrived, he noticed that some items were missing, including two gold necklaces, totalling 7 baht. The deceased was well-liked by his friends and villagers and he was pleasant to talk to.

The two intruders were caught on CCTV cameras. They were both men who arrived on a motorbike. The gunman was a large, stout man who stood over the victim and pointed his gun at him. When the victim woke up, he said…

“I’m not playing with you guys today, I’m not well, I’m going to sleep.”

The intruder then shot him and asked…

“Where is the gold? Give it to me.”

He then grabbed the gold and shot him again. This account was provided by the deceased’s wife.

The deceased’s 70 year old mother, Thonghwaud, said she was in the kitchen preparing to steam chicken when the incident occurred. Initially, she heard a noise like something falling, and then a second sound, which she thought was her older son lighting fireworks because her grandson was crying. She didn’t think anyone would come in and shoot, she thought her son had shot himself because she didn’t see anyone else. She had asked her son to lock the house for her before she went into the kitchen to steam some chicken. In less than ten minutes, her son was shot dead.

The police are examining CCTV footage along various routes in the village that the culprits might have used to escape. They aim to arrest the culprits and prosecute them according to the law. The deceased’s body was sent for a detailed autopsy at the Forensic Institute.

The preliminary cause of the incident is believed to be robbery but personal conflict has not been ruled out. The police are waiting for the detailed investigation results.

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