ID :
127013
Wed, 06/09/2010 - 20:19
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http://m.oananews.org//node/127013
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Three foreign suspects arrested in Krabi for theft of Bt12 million cash from car in Bangkok
BANGKOK, June 9 (TNA) - Three foreign suspects -- one American and two Columbians -- were arrested Wednesday in Thailand's southern province of Krabi for the theft of Bt12million -- about US$368,000 -- from a vehicle in the headquarters parking lot of one of Thailand's largest commercial banks.
The suspects allegedly smashed a car window in a pickup truck and lifted the Bt12 million in a daring heist in front of the Krung Thai Bank headquarters in the Nana area of the Thai capital's Sukhumvit Road on Friday.
Central Investigation Bureau Deputy Commissioner Pol Maj-Gen Panya Mamen said that tourist police and the investigation team had tracked the gang from their mobile phones and received information that they had checked in at a Bangkok hotel after removing the cash from the pickup truck.
They traveled to the southern province of Trang before moving on to hide in a hotel in Krabi.
The American registered the hotel room to prevent police tracking the apparently higher-profile Columbians, but the investigation team located them anyway.
One Columbian was captured on closed circuit television images.
Police initially recovered only Bt200,000 cash and believed that more than Bt11 million was taken away by another suspect who rented a Toyota VIOS sedan with a Phatthalung licence plate and may have escaped from the country.
The trio denied the charges and police planned to take them to Bangkok for further questioning at the Immigration Bureau.
Wirat Panyapluattichote, a 44-year-old employee of Thaimart Store, parked his pickup truck outside the bank on June 4, while he took Bt5 million of the store's money into the bank to deposit.
When he returned to his truck, he found one of the vehicle's windows had been smashed and a bag containing 12 million baht of Thaimart funds inside the car had been stolen.
Mr Wirat had earlier received the money from an exchange currency trader, Super Rich, on Ratchadamri Road, before going to the bank.
The Toyata sedan used by the robbers is owned by Phuket resident Wichien Chooshoop. Mr Wichien said that the suspects rented his car since May 4, and denied involvement in the crime.
Police said the Colombian gang counterfeited passports to enter Thailand before committing crimes such as stealing items from jewellery shops, breaking into safeboxes in homes of the wealthy and robbing assets from vehicles by smashing windows. (TNA)
The suspects allegedly smashed a car window in a pickup truck and lifted the Bt12 million in a daring heist in front of the Krung Thai Bank headquarters in the Nana area of the Thai capital's Sukhumvit Road on Friday.
Central Investigation Bureau Deputy Commissioner Pol Maj-Gen Panya Mamen said that tourist police and the investigation team had tracked the gang from their mobile phones and received information that they had checked in at a Bangkok hotel after removing the cash from the pickup truck.
They traveled to the southern province of Trang before moving on to hide in a hotel in Krabi.
The American registered the hotel room to prevent police tracking the apparently higher-profile Columbians, but the investigation team located them anyway.
One Columbian was captured on closed circuit television images.
Police initially recovered only Bt200,000 cash and believed that more than Bt11 million was taken away by another suspect who rented a Toyota VIOS sedan with a Phatthalung licence plate and may have escaped from the country.
The trio denied the charges and police planned to take them to Bangkok for further questioning at the Immigration Bureau.
Wirat Panyapluattichote, a 44-year-old employee of Thaimart Store, parked his pickup truck outside the bank on June 4, while he took Bt5 million of the store's money into the bank to deposit.
When he returned to his truck, he found one of the vehicle's windows had been smashed and a bag containing 12 million baht of Thaimart funds inside the car had been stolen.
Mr Wirat had earlier received the money from an exchange currency trader, Super Rich, on Ratchadamri Road, before going to the bank.
The Toyata sedan used by the robbers is owned by Phuket resident Wichien Chooshoop. Mr Wichien said that the suspects rented his car since May 4, and denied involvement in the crime.
Police said the Colombian gang counterfeited passports to enter Thailand before committing crimes such as stealing items from jewellery shops, breaking into safeboxes in homes of the wealthy and robbing assets from vehicles by smashing windows. (TNA)
