Hostage Taker Held After Gold Theft From Hong Kong Woman

Police remanded a 28-year-old man after he held a woman hostage at knifepoint outside a 7-Eleven in Lat Phrao, Bangkok. The incident occurred in front of the convenience store at the entrance to Soi 42 on Soi Lat Phrao 101. The suspect later admitted both the hostage-taking and a previous gold snatch involving a Hong Kong woman.

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The incident unfolded when the man, wearing a black short-sleeved shirt and jeans, restrained a 31-year-old woman by the neck while holding a knife. Police identified the suspect as Kaiwit, aged 28, and the victim as Penporn, aged 31. Officers from Lat Phrao Police Station coordinated with the suspect’s mother, who spent nearly an hour persuading him to release the hostage before he surrendered.

The victim was taken to hospital for treatment after suffering bruising to her neck and exhaustion. Police seized the knife used in the incident and detained the suspect for questioning. He confessed to carrying out the attack.

Pol Col Thanaphan Phadungkan, superintendent of Lat Phrao Police Station, said the suspect and victim were friends and had gone to the shop together before the attack. The suspect reportedly pulled the knife on his friend after seeing police officers nearby and fearing arrest over a gold snatching involving a Hong Kong woman in the Pathumwan area on 25 February. Officers required prolonged negotiations before contacting his mother to help secure his surrender.

During questioning, the suspect admitted the gold theft, claiming he sold the stolen gold to buy drugs. A background check found he had committed offences in multiple areas and had previously been prosecuted in 2019 for a drug case in the Huai Khwang area. After serving his sentence, he allegedly committed further snatching offences in the Lumpini and Pathumwan areas.

Police said the suspect chose central city locations because he was familiar with the routes from working as a driver for a Japanese businessman. He claimed his monthly salary of 18,000 baht was insufficient, leading him to commit repeated offences.

Investigators have charged him with unlawful detention, coercion, carrying a knife in public without reasonable cause, and related offences. He will be taken to the Criminal Court on Ratchadaphisek Road for remand on 2 March.

Pictures courtesy of InsideThailand

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Adapted by ASEAN Now InsideThailand 2 Mar 2026