Patong teens nabbed for exchange-booth robberies

PHUKET: Two teenagers were arrested in Patong on Wednesday, and police are searching for three more, for their involvement a series of currency-exchange booth robberies and motorbike thefts.

The two, who cannot be named as they are minors, were caught on Wednesday night after police identified them in CCTV footage collected from a currency-exchange booth on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Road that they had robbed at about 2:20am that morning.

“We arrested the first teen with a stolen white Yamaha Mio at Phra Baramee Road at about 8pm,” said Lt Col Sutthichai Tianpho of the Patong Police.

“Later, we arrested the next teen at a nearby football field on Thaweewong Road with a stolen black Honda Dream motorbike.”

Col Suttichai told the Phuket Gazette that the arrests followed several complaints received since February about robberies at a currency-exchange booth, and also several seemingly unrelated motorbike thefts.

“The two teens were charged with robbery and theft,” he said. “Both teens confessed that they had robbed the exchange booth and stolen six motorbikes.

“They told police that they had robbed a total of 80,000 baht from the exchange both, which they had robbed twice.”

Police are questioning the two suspects to find out more information about the three other members of their gang, as well as the four remaining stolen motorbikes.

— Woranut Pechdee