Teens arrested for bypass stabbings, robberies

PHUKET: Four motorists were stabbed within 20 minutes of each other during a drunken robbery spree by two 17-year-olds in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The two suspects used a motorbike to rob and stab victims in Phuket Town. Another robbery, without a reported stabbing, in Thalang is also being attributed to the suspects.

The first victim, 21-year-old Suraya Sookpen, suffered minor injuries after being stabbed in the stomach at about 2:40am.

“Mr Suraya said he was heading to his house in Soi 7 along the Bypass Road on his motorbike. He said that two men rode up on a bike, stabbed him and robbed him of his mobile phone,” Capt Akkaradet Pongprom of the Phuket City Police said.

“Both suspects then escaped on a Honda Wave motorbike (reported to be white, blue and black) without a license plate, and headed to Pracha Uthid Road. Mr Suraya remembered that both suspects were wearing a helmet and face mask, and one was dressed in yellow and another in light gray.”

The suspects then allegedly followed a 26-year-old man named Apiwat Kiriwong, who was heading back to his home from Patong. When Mr Apiwat was on his motorbike near Boat Plaza in Phuket City at about 2:50am, the suspects reportedly rode up to him and asked him for 20 baht.

“I didn’t get off the bike until I arrived at a 7-Eleven,” Mr Apiwat said. “I then parked my bike and went to into the store and the two men followed me there. I tried to walk away from them and after a while I saw them leave the store. I then decided to leave.”

But the two teenage boys, who police have refused to name on the grounds that they are minors, were waiting for Mr Apiwat by his motorbike. They threatened him with a BB gun before stabbing him. The two then escaped with Mr Apiwat’s wallet, which reportedly had 600 baht in it.

Mr Apiwat’s description to police of the perpetrators matched Mr Suraya’s accounts.

The thieves fled the 7-Eleven on their motorbike and, ten minutes later, again attacked commuters along the Bypass Road. Tulakarn Thamkan, 23, was stabbed in the lower left chest and Suthinan Thongmuen, 23, suffered minor injuries after being stabbed in the left ribs.

“We were driving into town from Thalang,” Mr Suthinan said. “When we arrived at the Bypass Road (near Toyota Sure) at about 3am, two men stopped our bike. They tried to stab us with a knife, but we fought back. Eventually they injured us left with a mobile phone.”

Captain Akkaradet said police received word of the attacks just before 4am.

“This is a very serious case. The two men spent only about 20 minutes and were involved in three robberies,” he said. “We had to act urgently on this, so we rushed to check the CCTV footage and question the victims.”

Shortly before 7am, Phuket City Police received word from Thalang Police about a similar case in the north of the island, but reported that no one was injured in that robbery.

Finally at about 2pm yesterday, police arrested the suspects at their house in Thalang. Both teenagers were charged with robbery using a weapon, and using a vehicle to flee the scene of a crime.

Their victims have since been released from Vachira Phuket Hospital.

— Kritsada Mueanhawong