Three arrested for theft from hotel rooms

PHUKET TOWN: Police yesterday arrested three Malaysians they believe are responsible for a spate of thefts from hotel rooms. The arrests came after a complaint from a guest at the Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel that he had gone to bed on Thursday night and had woken the following morning to find his Solvil & Titus watch missing, along with 3,200 baht in cash. Checking through hotel records, police noticed that two Malaysians had been booked into the hotel that night, and that they had also stayed in the hotel on previous occasions when thefts from rooms had been reported. When the two left the hotel, police followed them to the Damrong Hotel on Luang Pho Rd. There, the two men met a third Malaysian staying in the hotel. A search of the room by police turned up the watch, 11,600 baht, 1,509 Malaysian ringgit and 743 Singapore dollars. Also found were a master key for guest rooms at the Thavorn Grand Plaza Hotel, a plastic card-key for rooms at the Royal Phuket City Hotel, and a number of other implements police say were suitable for breaking into rooms. The three were arrested and taken to Phuket Town Police Station. All three denied the charges.