Chon Buri passersby annoyed at slow police response to gold snatcher

Passersby in Sri Racha district of Chon Buri were reportedly annoyed at police’s slow response to a gold theft incident yesterday. The 35 year old thief currently known as ‘Ae’ nabbed a gold necklace from a gold store in a shopping mall. Ae reportedly pretended he was just trying on the necklace, and then fled the shop. The shop clerk was left startled by the incident, but passersby and a mall security guard tackled Ae and held him until the police arrived.

Ae reportedly admitted that he stole the necklace to sell it for gambling money. The Pattaya News reports, however, that some passersby were “unsatisfied” with how long it took police to arrive on the scene, as the police station was only 300 metres away from the mall. There was also a police booth at the mall’s entrance. Police have so far not provided a reason for their timing.

Chon Buri province and Pattaya city seem to be hubs for gold theft. Last month, a man used a fake gun to rob a gold shop in the main city district of Chon Buri province, grabbing several items before he fled the scene on his motorbike. After catching the crook, police seized 4 gold necklaces worth over 80,000 baht, and the fake gun.

Meanwhile, Pattaya has had a massive issue in the past few months with thieves stealing gold necklaces from Indian tourists. The problem has become so common that last month, Pattaya police announced that a ‘specialised’ police patrol force will be formed to monitor any inappropriate incidents in tourist areas, or crimes against tourists.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News