Brick-wielding thug robs Phuket 7-Eleven, gets Bt360

CHALONG, PHUKET: A down-and-out man who robbed a 7-Eleven store by threatening the shop assistant with a brick this morning got off with just 360 baht in coins – and was arrested soon after.

Mongkhol Pintajan, 33, told police he robbed the store because he had no money.

Police said Mr Mongkhol walked into the 7-Eleven on Wiset Road in Rawai at 4am.

Brick in hand, he told the frightened shop attendant to give him all the store’s cash, police said.

The attendant complied, giving him 360 baht in 10 baht coins.

After police received the crime report they rushed to the store, where they examined CCTV footage of the incident.

Later in the morning they caught Mr Mongkhol on his motorcycle on the Kata-Saiyuan Road in Rawai.

At a press conference today, Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Narong Laksanawimon warned the public to expect more robberies because of the poor state of the economy.

He also warned the public not to hang bags from motorbike handlebars or place them in the front basket, as this made them easy pickings for thieves.

“Keep valuables in the seat of your bike,” he advised.

Police also used the conference to announce the arrests of several other men for possession of small quantities of ya bah (methamphetamine).

Col Wichit Intharasorn, the new Superintendent of Chalong Police, was also present.

Col Wichit said he ordered his men to crack down on all types of crimes, particularly those involving drugs.

His officers were going to crank up the pressure on targeted drugs networks, he said.