Thai teen arrested in Bangkok gold heist to support wife and child

A 17 year old Thai yesterday admitted to stealing a gold bracelet worth over 200,000 baht from a gold shop in the Ratchada area of Bangkok. He stated that he needed the money to take care of his wife and their one year old child.

The robbery took place yesterday, August 18, at a shop on the second floor of a shopping mall on Ratchadapisek Road and was reported to Huay Kwang Police Station in the afternoon. The staff at the gold shop declined to give an interview with the police.

The superintendent of Huay Kwang Police Station, Prasopchok Iampinit, later revealed to news agencies that the teenage thief was wearing a black T-shirt, shorts, a hat, and a face mask during the robbery. He initially stood outside the gold shop at around 12.35pm but did not enter. He returned five minutes later to commit the crime.

The thief posed as a customer, asking to see two gold bracelets, which he then returned to the staff. The worker noticed his suspicious behaviour as his hands were shaking when handling the valuables.

The worker was about to ask the thief to remove his hat and face mask when the thief suddenly ran out of the shop with a gold necklace worth about 206,500 baht in his hand. The thief stumbled once but continued to run to the first floor of the mall.

Unable to care for family

The gold shop worker pursued the thief but had to stop when the thief turned and fired two shots at him. Fortunately, the first shot failed, and the second hit the ground. The thief managed to escape the scene on his motorcycle.

Police later identified the thief as the 17 year old man, whose name has not been made public. He was arrested on the same day at his home in the Huay Kwang district of Bangkok, near the scene of the crime.

The thief confessed that he worked as a food delivery rider but could not earn enough to support his wife and one year old child. He had to give 5,000 baht to his wife and pay 2,800 baht for his motorcycle’s monthly instalment.

A conflict with his wife’s mother also pushed the teenager to commit the crime, as she condemned him for being unable to take care of his family.

The teenage thief now faces four charges, including:

• Section 335 of the Criminal Law: committing theft using a gun and a vehicle to facilitate the crime, punishable by imprisonment for one to five years and a fine of 20,000 to 100,000 baht.
• Attempting to murder another person, which results in half of the murder punishment under Section 288 of the Criminal Law: the death penalty, life imprisonment, or imprisonment from 15 to 20 years.
• Section 7 of the Act on Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearms: possessing a gun without permission, punishable by imprisonment for up to 10 years, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
• Section 8 of the Act on Firearms, Ammunition, Explosives, Fireworks, and Imitation Firearms: carrying a gun in a public place without permission and necessity, punishable by imprisonment for up to five years, a fine of up to 10,000 baht, or both.

His punishment may be adjusted according to the court’s judgement, as the thief is still a teenager.