A rapid and quick-thinking response by police investigators, when notified of the armed robbery, led to all members of the gang being quickly tracked down and vehicles located. Police have appealed to the three men, who escaped the police net in Rayong including the ring leader of the raid, to give themselves up.
Police in Pattaya have announced the arrest of two members of what is believed to have been a five man gang that staged an armed robbery at a residence in the resort city used by Chinese visitors early on Wednesday morning when they got away with over ฿400,000 in cash and personal belongings. The gang were tipped off and gained entry to the home by an attractive woman planted there who left a party when those inside were asleep and inebriated. Three members of the gang including the ringleader escaped arrest when they engaged with police in a firefight hours later in Rayong province.
Pattaya police have announced the arrest of at least two members of a gang of five who terrorised and robbed a Chinese group early on Wednesday morning in the city in which nearly ฿400,000 was taken from the victimised parties.
It is understood that the gang managed to embed an attractive-looking Thai woman into the group who later feigned her departure from a late-night party while leaving the entrance to the property open and signalling to the waiting criminal gang to launch the violent raid.
Chinese visitors were asleep and inebriated when a Thai woman walked out of the residence leaving the door open and alerting the armed raiding party
It is understood that the Chinese tourists at the property were all inebriated and sleeping when the young woman made her move and betrayed them.
The intruders who subsequently stormed the residence were armed with a firearm and used electrical cord to bind their Chinese tourist captives by hand and foot.
Police briefed the media and suggested that two of the raiders tied up the victims while the other three took possession of ฿170,000 in cash, four smartphones, one iPad, three watches and a gold ring.
The armed raiders also took away a car belonging to the Chinese group.
฿170,000 in cash taken while a further ฿207,400 was transferred via a smartphone app by the Chinese group held captive and bound by hands and feet
The gang also intimidated the Chinese tourists into transferring a further ฿207,400 to their bank account using online transfer applications.
Police in Pattaya were already on high alert for criminal exploits against Chinese tourists.
When they arrived at the scene, they immediately began checking the local CCTV video cameras to identify the getaway route of the raiding party while the property was dusted for fingerprints to be compared to crime databases.
Police quickly discovered that the CCTV server for the property had been also taken by the raiders but were able to track them to an apartment in the Nikhom Phatthana District of neighbouring Rayong province just as the gang were walking towards the property after emerging from another sedan car.
Police surprised three of the raiders including the ring leader, later in Rayong province but they opened fire on officers and escaped during a gunfight
The surprised raiders successfully resisted arrest with shots being fired by the police in response. This exchange developed into a gunfight.
The three raiders, all men including the suspected ringleader of the raiding party and mastermind of this operation, managed to escape from the scene and are being hunted by police.
The culprits are all believed to be known to the force.
Police had also successfully been able to retrieve the sedan car taken by the raiders from the Chinese group by tracking it via GPS.
They located it deep inside a forest in the Bang Lamung district of Chonburi in Pattaya.
Two culprits arrested in Bang Lamung area of Pattaya when tracked down by police who recovered several vehicles. Trio asked to give themselves up
Police also identified a property in Chonburi linked with the raiding group where they found a black Mitsubishi Triton pickup which is understood to have been the vehicle used by the raiders initially to commit the crime.
The property and the vehicles at both locations were forensically examined by a police technical team.
The press were briefed by Police Colonel Thanapong Phothi, the Superintendent at Pattaya Police Station who said the raid had been responded to by officers from his station and Chonburi.
He indicated that the gang had split into two with two arrests made at the scene in Bang Lamung.
Police in both Rayong and Chonburi are urging the three fugitive men to surrender.
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