Pawnshop officer arrested over multi million baht gold theft in Trang

Police arrested a pawnshop officer today, January 9, for a gold theft at a municipal pawnshop in Trang province, a case that caused estimated losses of more than 5 million baht.

The investigation began after an officer from the Mueang Trang Municipality Pawnshop filed a complaint with Mueang Trang Police Station on Tuesday, January 6. The officer reported that more than 200 pieces of gold accessories had gone missing from a safe inside the pawnshop.

While the exact value of the stolen gold has not yet been officially confirmed, Channel 8 reported that the losses are believed to exceed 5 million baht.

According to the complainant, the pawnshop follows strict procedures for safeguarding assets. Staff members take turns conducting both weekly and monthly inspections of pawned items kept at the facility.

The most recent inspection before the incident was carried out on December 12, during which all assets were accounted for and found to be intact.

However, when another inspection was conducted on January 6, staff discovered that a large number of gold items were missing.

Importantly, investigators found no signs of forced entry or damage to the safe. Police noted that only two pawnshop officers were authorised to hold keys to the safe, although their identities were not initially disclosed to the public.

Following the discovery, the pawnshop was ordered to close temporarily from January 6 until January 8 to allow police to carry out a detailed investigation. Officers also began a comprehensive review of all pawned assets to determine whether additional items had been stolen.

As the investigation progressed, police uncovered key evidence pointing to one of the safe’s key holders, identified as Nitiphon Lensin. He was arrested today and taken to the police station for questioning.

During interrogation, Nitiphon confessed to stealing gold items from the pawnshop on multiple occasions. He told police that he removed gold accessories and pawned them at other shops. He claimed he deliberately chose items whose owners were unlikely to redeem them quickly.

Before the original owners returned, Nitiphon said he would redeem the stolen items himself, return them to the pawnshop, then steal different pieces and repeat the process.

Nitiphon alleged that he stole only around 30 items, with a total value of approximately 1 million baht. However, police remain sceptical, noting that the number of missing items and the estimated losses appear far higher.

Investigators are now expanding the inquiry to determine whether others were involved and to establish the full scale of the theft.

Officials overseeing the pawnshop have urged residents not to panic about their pawned property and assured the public that a thorough investigation is underway. The pawnshop is expected to remain closed until January 12 as legal proceedings continue.