Phuket
Phuket gold thieves out of gas, out of luck

PHUKET: Thieves attempting to cut open a safe in a locked strong room at a gold store in Patong on Saturday night most likely ran out of gas for their blowtorch, forcing them to leave empty-handed, say police.
Nuchapha Jetsadaruk, the 49-year-old sister of shop owner Sasithorn Jetsadaruk, arrived to open the Yaowarat Gold Shop 9 on Sainamyen Road (map here) just before 9am yesterday to discover the theft attempt.
“When we closed the shop [on Saturday night], everything was still normal. I guess the thieves broke in during the night,” she told the Phuket Gazette.
The thieves had broken through the roof and cut through ceiling-mounted bars to enter the strong room, explained Patong Police Superintendent Chiraphat Pochanaphan.
“The shop has three safes kept locked in the strongroom. One of the safes has scorch marks on it showing how the thieves tried to used a blowtorch to open it,” he said.
“We found two 50kg gas tanks as well as a crowbar, screwdrivers and a kitchen knife in the room. However, it seems they ran out of gas before they could open the safe,” Col Chiraphat explained.
Police believe the thieves were well prepared to carry out the robbery.
“They cut the power supply cables at the electric meter in front of the shop to switch off the CCTV cameras before they broke in,” he explained.
Phuket Forensic Police have collected fingerprints at the scene to use in conducting their investigation.
“We will question the technician who fixed the air-conditioning unit at the shop a few days ago and the staff who recently came to install the shop’s phone system,” Col Chiraphat said.
In the meantime, Ms Nuchapha and her sister are counting their blessings.
“Fortunately, they were not able to take anything,” Ms Nuchapha said.
Ms Nuchapha did not elaborate on how much gold was in the safe, or whether or not the gold was insured.
Additional reporting by Kritsada Mueanhawong
— Thawit Bilabdullar
Get more from The Thaiger
Join the conversation and have your say on Thailand news published on The Thaiger.
Thaiger Talk is our new Thaiger Community where you can join the discussion on everything happening in Thailand right now.
Please note that articles are not posted to the forum instantly and can take up to 20 min before being visible. Click for more information and the Thaiger Talk Guidelines.
- Bangkok4 days ago
5 countries’ representatives walk out when Russian official speaks in Bangkok
- Best of2 days ago
Siam Paragon wins the Best Luxury Shopping Mall 2022 Award
- Education5 hours ago
Why you should study Thai to explore Thailand
- Events1 day ago
“Eat Out with Marriott Bonvoy”: enjoy food discounts all the way
- Tourism3 days ago
Thailand tourism authorities expect 1 million arrivals per month starting June
- 360 Reviews2 days ago
The best private villas to rent in Bangkok for 2022
- Bangkok2 days ago
Thai woman fined 54,000 baht at airport after entering country with designer brands
- Coronavirus (Covid-19)2 days ago
Changes to Thailand’s Covid-19 restrictions to take effect June 1
You must be logged in to post a comment Login