Luxury Koh Samui hotel robbed of 70 million baht worth of assets
Six thieves were arrested today in connection with a 70 million baht robbery of a luxury Koh Samui hotel. Police believe more suspects are involved and made it known they are searching for them.
The Chaweng Blue Lagoon Hotel is reported to be worth 400 million baht but it will be worth considerably less now after 348 rooms were stripped of assets worth up to 70 million baht by thieves.
Thieves stripped rooms of you name it: electrical wires, light bulbs, plug sockets, tables, chairs, beds, flush toilets, water heaters, showers, curtains, bedding, glass windows, wooden doors, air conditioners, water pumps, elevators, stair handrails, and even roof structures.
Every room was destroyed in the process leaving the hotel looking like a construction site. The thieves also left tools and empty food containers at the scene, revealing it wasn’t a smash-and-grab job. They took their time while stripping the place bare.
The hotel’s owner, Yommana Poonsawat, said she had invested 400 million baht in the hotel. It was ready to welcome guests but the opening was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Yommana revealed that she had not been back to the hotel after she locked it following the refurbishment.
“It was the biggest robbery in Koh Samui. They were cruel. I lost over 70 million baht.”
She revealed that she can’t afford to renovate the hotel and will have to put it up for sale. She added that she wants the police to take the robbery seriously and find solutions to prevent a similar case from happening in the future.
“Koh Samui needs tourists, but who will invest in Koh Samui after learning about this news?”
Officers from Bor Phuut Police Station today made it known they arrested six thieves after investigating security cameras nearby the area. They could face, at least, a penalty of up to three years in jail and a fine of up to 6,000 baht according to Section 334 of the Criminal Law related to offences against property.
They could face further charges and penalties if their actions fall into any specific type of theft according to the Criminal Law, Section 335.
The officer in charge of the investigation reckoned that the thieves spent about three months stripping the hotel and more than six people were involved. He added they are checking other security cameras to arrest the whole gang.
