UPDATE: Casino robbery in Bangkok sparks investigation into local police corruption

UPDATE

Today, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Thai Police Division 1 Pol. Cl. Ekarat Pao-in gave an update about the Din Daeng casino robbery. Ekarat is also now acting Superintendent of Din Daeng Police Station since five Din Daeng officers are being investigated for corruption.

Ekarat said that he and other officers searched the casino and “didn’t find anything at all.” Although, Ekarat also said that the police didn’t search the premises until 15 hours after they were notified of the robbery – giving the casino owners more than ample time to collect their money, and gambling equipment and flee the property.

The acting superintendent said police found an “empty room” and no surveillance cameras, despite the robbery being caught on CCTV.

The original footage must have been leaked because the illegal casino’s owners were not the ones who reported the robbery to the police, which makes sense seeing as they are also criminals.

The investigating officers suspect the casino owners took the surveillance cameras with them to hide evidence of their illegal gambling den, which Din Daeng officers had “never heard of,” despite it being located just 650 metres away from the police station.

The officer didn’t say why it took police 15 hours to visit the illegal gambling den. The officer also didn’t say if police had made any progress tracking down the thief, “Mack Anusaoree.”

SOURCE: KhaoSod

ORIGINAL STORY

CCTV footage taken in the early hours of Tuesday morning reveals a man stealing 300,000 baht cash from an illegal casino in the Din Daeng area of Bangkok. The man, known as “Mack Anusaoree,” stole the money after gambling away more than one million baht, allegedly.

Mack Anusaoree – “Mack Victory” – raided the gambling den on Soi Pracha Songkhro 8 armed with a gun on Tuesday morning in an attempt to steal back his losses. Sanook reports that Mack slapped the casino’s two owners, “Sia Biak” and “Sia Jack,” in the face before robbing the cash at gunpoint.

Popular Thai media channel PPTV has poked fun at officers from Din Daeng Police Station, who claimed they “didn’t know” that the casino existed, despite it being located just 650 metres away from the police station. PPTV even posted a picture of Google maps to prove it.

Although gambling is illegal in Thailand, it is very common. Locals told reporters that the casino has been operating for a long time and believe that Din Daeng police officers were already aware of it.

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau has ordered five Din Daeng police officers to be transferred to work at the Metropolitan Police Division 1, where they can be kept a close eye on until the case is investigated fully by the National Anti-Corruption Committee (NACC).

Police are preparing to arrest the thief under robbery charges as well as charges under the Firearms Act. The police have also launched an investigation into the illegally operating casino.

Apparently, Mack Victory is close friends with “Sua Dusit,” a well-known gangster of Sai Mai district, also known as the “Robin Hood of Thailand.”

SOURCE: PPTV, Sanook, CH3