Dental assistant arrested for stealing gold in central Thailand
Woman busted for gold theft in Nonthaburi province. Victim loses valuables worth 800k baht.
A 42 year old dental assistant has been arrested for allegedly stealing 16 baht weight in gold, valued at 800,000 baht, from a residence in Mueang district, Nonthaburi province.
The theft led the victim, a 72 year old woman named Nuchwadi, to suffer from severe depression.
The incident was first reported on April 9 when Nuchwadi informed the police at Rattanathibet Police Station about the theft of gold bars and jewellery from her home. Following the report, police investigations revealed that the suspect had removed the CCTV cameras from Nuchwadi’s house.
Surveillance footage from the neighbourhood captured a woman, aged between 35 and 40, wearing a yellow shirt, long trousers, a hat, and glasses, entering the street where the crime occurred. She was later seen leaving the area in a taxi. Further police investigations identified the woman as a previous theft suspect from 2020.
Yesterday, May 9, at 11pm, Rattanathibet Police Station officers, led by Deputy Superintendent Phaskorn Chaiyateewong, arrested Sathikul at her residence in Khu Khot, Lam Luk Ka district, Pathum Thani province. During questioning, she confessed to the crime, revealing that she had hidden the stolen gold at another house in Khlong Phra Udom, Pak Kret district, Nonthaburi. Police retrieved gold bars weighing a total of 11 baht, belonging to Nuchwadi.
Sathikul admitted that due to financial difficulties, she had scoped out houses when she found Nuchwadi’s home unlocked. She entered and took the gold from a closet, also removing the CCTV cameras. She then sold part of the gold for over 100,000 baht, which she used to pay off debts and daily expenses. The remaining 11 baht of gold was hidden at her grandfather’s house before her arrest.
Nuchwadi confirmed the stolen items were hers. She explained that she had been saving the gold to fund the completion of her new house, which was still under construction due to a lack of funds exceeding 600,000 baht. The theft left her in distress, unable to sleep, and deeply depressed, even contemplating suicide to provide her family with insurance money to complete the house, KhaoSod reported.
Sathikul apologised to Nuchwadi, claiming she needed money for an ongoing legal case, which required her to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet. Her criminal history includes theft charges in 2020 at Rattanathibet Police Station and similar charges in 2023 in both Pak Kret and Sai Mai districts.
Currently on bail for the Pak Kret case, Sathikul faces new charges of theft in a dwelling, obstructing identification, and will be further investigated by Rattanathibet Police Station.
If you or anyone you know is in emotional distress, please contact the Samaritans of Thailand 24-hour hotline: 02 713 6791 (English), 02 713 6793 (Thai), or the Thai Mental Health Hotline at 1323 (Thai). Please also contact your friends or relatives at this time if you have feelings of loneliness, stress, or depression. Seek help.
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