Robber’s golden luck runs out

PHUKET TOWN: If you bought a fortune-telling ticket that said, “You will have luck in everything you wish to do,” what would you do? According to police, if you were Arthit Srithep, you’d rob a gold shop. Arthit, 24, a native of Nakhon Sri Thammarat, robbed a gold shop in Phuket Town on Tuesday, walking out with bracelets worth 328,500 baht. Police say he walked into the gold shop, not far from the intersection of Thepkasattri and Thalang Rds, and brandished a gun, much to the surprise of proprietor Worapong Limthongnoppakhun, 52, and his daughter Naparat, 24. They watched as Arthit allegedly smashed glass showcases with a hammer, snatched 45 bracelets and ran off. At the intersection, he hailed a getaway motorcycle taxi. The driver, Prapan Jindamaneesri, gladly accepted the fare, but Arthit, who told Prapan he was being pursued by a gangster, was unable to say where he wanted to go. Police soon found the robber hanging about in Phuket Rd, pondering his fate. In his pockets were the gun – a fake – and the jewelry, along with the “lucky” forecast from the fortune teller. Officers said Arthit was a heroin addict who had run out of money to support his habit. He was still being held at Phuket Town Police Station today.