Authorities are satisfied that the men are hiding across Thailand’s borders and will be attempting to sell some of the nearly ฿9 million in gold they took from the raid.
Thai police in the northeast are reported to have offered a reward to their opposite numbers in Laos for the swift arrest and deportation of two Thai men who raided a gold shop in Khon Kaen at the end of July.
Thai police said on Friday that they are still satisfied that the two gold shop robbers who robbed a gold shop in Khon Kaen province on July 26th are in Thailand’s neighbouring country of Laos. Police Lieutenant General Surachai Khuandechakupt who is the Chief of Region 4 of the Provincial Police briefed the media on the subject.
Thai police in communication with opposite numbers in Laos to apprehend the villains
He revealed that police are intent of arresting the two criminals and are in communication with police in Laos to have the two fugitives brought back across the Lao-Thai border to face justice. He said that a reward had been offered to their opposite numbers in Laos in order to capture the bandits but declined to say how much was involved.
In the aftermath of the raid, a Thai police delegation visited Vientiane in pursuit of the two men.
Raid was carried out with military precision on Friday evening the 26th of July in under 2 minutes
The names of the two men have been released. They are 37-year-old Chaimongkol Jaiboon-upatham who is reported to be the mastermind of the raid and his associate 60-year-old Sergeant Reungsak Panthong who is thought to have been former army paratrooper. The two-member gang stole valuable gold jewellery, very much a saleable commodity in Thailand and said to be worth nearly ฿9 million when they entered a gold shop in Khon Kaen early on Friday evening the 26th of July. The raid and robbery were carried out with military precision in under 2 minutes.
Two accomplices arrested by armed police in Khon Kaen the next day after the duo fled to Laos
The next day Thai police arrested two other men in connection with the crime. In broad daylight, armed police officers swooped on the two men in Khon Kaen at the Udon Thani bypass. The pair were later named as 52-year-old Praiwan Yabundit and 54-year-old Suphot Phetchrangsi. They were believed to have acted as accomplices to the robbery in that they assisted the armed robbers to escape Thai jurisdiction by helping the cross into Laos at a border frontier point in Nong Khai.
Following their arrest, police retrieved some of the gold items which had been concealed underground at a rubber plantation in Chaiyaphum province.
Police feel the fugitives will try to dispose of the gold near the Thai border to get a better price
Police are also on the watch for efforts by the two armed robbers to sell some of the gold items near the Lao Tai border as it is reported that they are likely to achieve a better return as the market for the gold is strongest Thailand.
