Gutsy guards apprehend armed bank robber after 207,000 baht theft near Bangkok

Brave security guards tackled an armed bank robber after he stole 207,000 baht from a bank in Market Village Suvarnabhumi shopping mall in the Bang Phli district of Samut Prakarn province near Bangkok.

Officers from the Bang Phli Police Station swiftly responded to the scene after a tip-off and discovered the robber, identified as Thaweesak Palalert, under the control of two brave security guards, 30 year old Suriwong Charoenhatairat and 24 year old Alongkorn Rerktula.

A screwdriver, used in the crime, and 207,000 baht were confiscated from him.

Thaweesak confessed that he worked as a mail messenger but his income could not cover his expenses and debt. The 37 year old robber explained that he pawned his pickup and refinanced his motorcycle. He could not find any more money to pay his debt and the debt interest. Unable to make ends meet, he planned the robbery on Sunday, June 4.

Thaweesak revealed…

“I took a taxi from my house to the shopping mall and then went straight to the third floor where the TTB Bank was located. I walked around the area and contemplated whether to do it or not. In the end, I decided to go through with it due to the overwhelming debt I owed. When I entered the bank, no customers were present. I approached one staff member and used a screwdriver to threaten her to hand money to me. After obtaining the cash, I made my escape to the first floor. However, the security guards managed to apprehend me.”

The Superintendent of the Bang Phli Police Station, Wiroj Tatso, added that Thaweesak also took a staff member hostage to compel the others to hand over all the money from the counter. Wiroj also revealed that Thaweesak had a huge debt because he was addicted to online gambling.

Wiroj commended the bravery of the two security guards. He explained that police officers typically patrolled the banks within the shopping mall but a personnel shortage had impacted the frequency of their operations. He assured the public that steps would be taken to increase the number of officers to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Thaweesak faced a charge of violating Section 340 of the Criminal Law by theft committed using a weapon. The penalty will be life in prison or imprisonment from 15 to 20 years.