From grill to gold: Chicken vendor ruffles feathers in heist near Bangkok

Police arrested a Thai grilled chicken vendor for a robbery at a gold shop in Nonthaburi province near Bangkok on Saturday and confiscated two stolen gold necklaces worth approximately 87,000 baht.

Officers from Bang Yai Police Station investigated the robbery, which occurred at the Golden 99 Gold Shop in The Bang Yai City Market at around 8pm, on October 19. They successfully arrested the thief, 41 year old Tawatchai Aromyim, at his home, located about 5-6 kilometres from the shop.

The shop worker, 31 year old Jadesada Homkate, told police that Tawatchai arrived at the shop earlier that evening and asked about the price of gold. Tawatchai also requested to see some necklaces up close and informed Jadesada that he would return to buy the gold later before leaving the store.

Near the shop’s closing time, Tawatchai returned and asked to see three gold necklaces worth approximately 44,000 baht each. He was wearing two gold necklaces and pretended to be speaking to his girlfriend on the phone.

Jadesada heard Tawatchai say, “Arrived already?” as if his girlfriend was arriving at the shop. Tawatchai then asked Jadesada to unlock the front door of the shop for her.

Believing Tawatchai’s words, Jadesada unlocked the door, allowing him to escape with the gold accessories. The thief then mounted his sidecar motorcycle and fled the scene.

Police managed to arrest Tawatchai at his home 40 minutes after the robbery. Two stolen necklaces were confiscated, and his sidecar motorcycle, which was used in the theft, was found at his home. Tawatchai revealed that he was a food vendor and also used the vehicle to sell grilled chicken.

During questioning, Tawatchai admitted that he committed the theft to sell the stolen gold necklaces and pay off his debts. He checked the shop earlier and found it to be quiet, so he decided to commit the crime.

Tawatchai was charged under Section 336 of the Criminal Laws for snatching. The penalty is imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to 100,000 baht.