Bangkok gold shop robbery suspect arrested after 3-week manhunt
Police arrested a suspect in a gold shop robbery at a shopping mall on Soi Sukhumvit 50 in Bangkok after more than three weeks of investigation.
The robbery was reported at about 11.35pm on January 31, as the shop was preparing to close. Police said a male suspect entered the shop through a small gap under the front door.
The suspect threatened four staff with a gun and escaped with about 170,000 baht in cash and more than 10 million baht in gold. The exact amount of gold stolen has not been confirmed, but multiple media outlets reported the total loss could be as high as 15 million baht.
Police said the suspect was later seen riding a motorcycle in the Khlong Toei and Prawet areas of Bangkok, and in Bang Kaew, Samut Prakan. Investigators said he changed his clothes several times to avoid detection.
Police added that the suspect later abandoned his motorcycle in a canal and continued fleeing by swimming for more than one kilometre.
Investigators reviewed CCTV footage from the seven days before the robbery and identified the suspect riding the same motorcycle into a dormitory in the Phra Khanong area. The accommodation owner told police the man rented a room for 18,000 baht per month using the name of a 28 year old man, Jalor.
Police said Jalor was seen wearing the same shoes and using the same bag as the wanted suspect. They then checked his criminal record and found he had previously been charged in multiple theft cases in Bangkok and Chiang Mai.
Further evidence linked Jalor to the Sukhumvit 50 gold shop robbery, police said, leading investigators to obtain a court warrant. Police arrested Jalor near Mae Saruay Dam in Mae Saruay district, Chiang Rai province, yesterday, February 19.
Jalor told police he asked a friend in Myanmar to sell the stolen gold jewellery and said he received an initial 200,000 baht. He claimed his friend arranged to meet him to hand over more money on March 7.
Latest Thailand News
Follow The Thaiger on Google News:
