Picture courtesy of KhaoSod

 

By Bright Choomanee

 

A 27 year old man was apprehended for extorting money from residents, including elderly people, at a bus stop in Bangkok. A group of bystanders detained him and handed him over to the police at Rat Burana Police Station for further legal action.

 

Today, February 6, the Rat Burana Police Station received a report that a man was caught by residents while attempting to extort money near the entrance of Soi Pracha Uthit 34. Police officers quickly responded to the scene, finding the incident occurring on the pavement close to Soi Pracha Uthit 34, in the Bang Mod subdistrict of Thung Khru district, Bangkok.

 

Upon arrival, police found a large group of people watching the scene. The suspect, identified as Thanakorn Meesapsiri, also known as Ice, was restrained by the crowd with his hands and feet tied and seated on the pavement. A sharp knife was found lying next to him.

 

Thanakorn, who had been harassing residents at the bus stop near Na Luang intersection, would typically operate around 4am daily. His actions had become notorious in the Pracha Uthit area, prompting several complaints from distressed residents.

 

A Facebook post warning about Thanakorn’s activities was shared on the community page for Rat Burana-Pracha Uthit (Thung Khru) by a user named Patthanan Patt. It described how the man’s mother had encountered Thanakorn at 4am while waiting for a bus near Bangkok Bank at the entrance of Soi Pracha Uthit 42.

 

 

The post detailed how Thanakorn approached her with a knife, demanding money. She managed to evade him by boarding a bus just in time. The following day, he allegedly attempted to confront her again, accusing her of deceiving him by escaping the previous encounter.

 

Bangkok extortion

 

The situation escalated when Arboi, a 28 year old friend of a victim’s son, was informed that Thanakorn was withdrawing money from an ATM near King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi. Arboi and his friends managed to detain Thanakorn with help from nearby residents, despite experiencing some difficulty.

 

During questioning, Arboi recounted how Thanakorn had demanded money from his friend’s mother and threatened her with a knife. Arboi was alerted and pursued Thanakorn, eventually apprehending him with assistance from the community.

 

Thanakorn later claimed to police that he was homeless and had been living in an Internet café. He insisted he never intended to harm anyone and that the knife was only used for peeling fruit. He expressed remorse for his actions, explaining that he had been released from prison and had nowhere else to go.

 

One of the victims, Sujaree Tantiamornpong, a 53 year old private company housekeeper, stated that Thanakorn had approached her for money, brandishing a knife when she refused. She managed to escape by engaging him in conversation until a bus arrived.

 

Sujaree reported the incident to the Rat Burana Police Station after witnessing Thanakorn attempt to attack her again in the early hours of the morning, reported KhaoSod.

 

Police have detained Thanakorn for further investigation at the Rat Burana Police Station. Residents who have been victims of extortion or threats from Thanakorn are encouraged to come forward and report their experiences to the police station.

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2025-02-06

 

 

There's a thick line between extortion and armed robbery.

 

It's about as thick as a dictionary. 

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Thanakorn later claimed to police that he was homeless and had been living in an Internet café. He insisted he never intended to harm anyone and that the knife was only used for peeling fruit.

Nice try.

On 2/7/2025 at 1:33 PM, hotchilli said:

Nice try.

 

but doesn't work, LOL.

I have heard of another stupid excuse(re: Burglary case, from some other country).

During his court procedure, the robber tried to justify own action saying it was his Rescue Attempt.

 

After a few knocks at the front door, no one responded.

So he felt the "Old Man" in the house might have fallen unconscious.

Then he forced his way into total stranger's home, breaking the door lock, to help him out...

Salute to another brave Instant Vigilante.

Confronting a thug with knife.

I often admire their  valor exercised in a tense situation.

 

Thai crowd helps police officer to battle a man with knife in Don Muang Market