Police have arrested the colourfully dressed gold shop robber who rode off with ฿1.9 million jewelry haul

January 20, 2021 at 5:31 pm
by News Desk
in Crime, Living, Personal, Thai World, Thailand
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Initially, the staff at the Yaowarat Bangkok gold shop refused the armed robber’s demands that they hand over the gold forcing him to climb over the counter and take it himself.

Police officers in Nakhon Ratchasima province are reported to have already caught up with and arrested a 63-year-old man who carried out an armed robbery on a gold shop at a Tesco Lotus shopping centre on Tuesday evening. He has been named as Khunsob Dokkaewklang and was located by police 16km from the robbery on Tuesday in Korat.

police-seek-arrest-nakhon-ratchasima-gold-shop-robber — Police had already indicated on Tuesday evening that they were already preparing to apply for an arrest warrant in relation to the colourfully dressed gold shop robber who got away with ฿1.9 million on Tuesday evening from the Nakhon Ratchasima based gold store. On Wednesday, they announced the arrest of 63-year-old Khunsob Dokkaewklang and showed off his haul to the press.

Nakhon Ratchasima witnessed another gold shop robbery on Tuesday when what appeared to be an elderly man with a hood, is believed to have gotten away with ฿1.9 million when he snatched gold necklaces at a store in the Non Thai district of the province and ran off.

The incident occurred at 7.12 pm when witnesses reported that a rather frail-looking man, in his 60s, launched the robbery. The thief was wearing both a hood and a face mask coloured purple. He had on red pants and sported a light green jacket.

Five separate police teams on his trail including roadblocks after the incident occurred

The shop which suffered the loss was the Yaowarat Bangkok gold shop situated at the Tesco Lotus department store in the area.

In reaction, it was reported that five separate police teams were on the trail of the culprit who pulled off the robbery by threatening staff with a handgun.

Mr Khunsob rdered terrified staff to the floor before he clambered over the gold shop counter and swiped the valuable gold pieces from the display trays.

In all, he got away with 119 items of jewellery.

Police roadblocks

Police Major General Pornchai Nualchai briefed the media on police operations which were launched to hunt down the armed man with five different squads being deployed.

Police also set up roadblocks in the district following the outrage.

Shocked young woman, a member of staff at the gold shop, staff could only see the robber’s eyeballs

A shocked member of staff at the store, 24-year-old Ms Darawi Suthichok, said the strangely dressed man was waving the handgun violently even as he approached the counter. She said she could only see his eyeballs

There were reported to be three members of staff on duty at the retail outlet and the attacker initially ordered them to hand over the valuable gold pieces to him from behind the counter.

Staff refused to comply with his demands

Ms Darawi explained that the employees, initially, froze and refused to comply with his instructions even as he threatened to shoot.

‘The robber then jumped over the display cabinets and grabbed several gold necklaces before fleeing on a motorcycle, which had no licence plate,’ the employee disclosed. Police have indicated that the motorbike was a Yamaha.

Later, as police officers sent forensic teams to the scene of the robbery, they indicated that they had some intelligence as to the perpetrator’s identity.

Police sources said that an arrest warrant was being applied for from the provincial court and on Wednesday the paraded the robber with his booty for the press.