Costly cat nap

BANGKOK: Just like the felines they are named after, cat burglars are known for their stealth, cunning, and grace of movement. But a cat burglar who successfully scaled his way into a Siam Commercial Bank office early one Sunday morning shared another another trait with cats that turned out to be his undoing – cat napping. Police arrested would-be bank robber Narong Chuaysuk, 22, early on the morning of February 27 after the Sakhon Nakhon native broke into the Siam Commercial Bank’s Bang Mod branch on Rama II Road – and then fell asleep under the tellers’ counter, unaware that his pre-snooze movements had triggered a silent alarm. Police said that, when arrested, Narong had in his possession wristwatches, a pen, VCD and CD players, two screwdrivers and a one-meter-long wooden stick that he had used to break into the bank – making one wonder if perhaps it isn’t time for SCB to review its security plan. Narong admitted that he had broken into banks on two previous occasions, police said. The first two break-ins were both at Krung Thai Bank’s Bang Khunthien branch, on February 7 and again two weeks later. Narong told reporters that after trying unsuccessfully to break into the Bang Mod bank’s safe, he had rifled through drawers and kept whatever valuables he could find. He said he then felt sleepy and decided to take a nap before heading home. Narong revealed that he used to make furniture, but could not find work. He then met a man who persuaded him to take up the potentially more rewarding occupation of robbing banks. Police brought Narong to the two banks to re-enact the crimes. At the SCB, he deftly climbed up to the third floor and removed an iron bar with the wooden stick, before removing slatted windows and gaining entry.