Former Scrap Dealer Turns to Robbery After Gambling Losses, Gold Snatched from Market Vendor

Picture courtesy of Siam News.

A man who had fallen on hard times due to online gambling has been arrested after a brazen daylight robbery in which he stole a gold necklace and amulet from a market vendor in Chaiyaphum province.

The suspect, identified as Mr Patiwat Noiphueng, 30, originally from Khlong Luang District, Pathum Thani, was arrested on 14 May, by Chaiyaphum police after fleeing to stay with relatives in the Sai Mai district of Bangkok.

The incident occurred on 20 April at the Nong Bua Rawe municipal market. Mr Patiwat allegedly stole a motorcycle belonging to a municipal officer at Chaiyaphum Town Market. He then rode to the neighbouring district, where he snatched a 1-baht gold necklace and a 50-satang gold-framed amulet of the revered monk Luang Pu Phang from a female vendor, before fleeing on the stolen bike.

Following an investigation using CCTV footage and witness statements, police traced the suspect’s vehicle to a relative’s home in Bamnet Narong district, Chaiyaphum. They confirmed his identity and tracked him to Bangkok.

Pol Col Prasit Premkamol, Superintendent of Chaiyaphum Police Station, dispatched officers to the capital, where the suspect was arrested at his relative’s residence. He was later brought back to Chaiyaphum for questioning.

During interrogation, Mr Patiwat confessed to the crime. He revealed he once ran a scrap metal shop in Rangsit, but after becoming addicted to online gambling, he accumulated substantial debts and lost all his assets. After borrowing money from his father to invest in his business again, he squandered it on gambling, leaving him destitute.

Mr Patiwat then travelled to Chaiyaphum where he intended to purchase a second-hand pickup truck. Instead, he spent his remaining money on gambling once more and ended up renting a cheap hotel in the city. Desperate, he stole a motorcycle at the market and used it to carry out the gold robbery in Nong Bua Rawe.

He later sold the stolen gold at a shop in Bamnet Narong for 40,000 baht, which he used to purchase a second-hand pickup truck. Upon learning that police were pursuing him, he quickly sold the truck to a used car dealer in Pathum Thani and fled to Bangkok.

Following his arrest, Pol Lt Col Thanasit Udompornwornchai, Deputy Superintendent of Chaiyaphum Police, led the suspect through a crime reenactment at three key locations: the hotel where he stayed, the scene of the motorcycle theft, and the site of the gold snatching in Nong Bua Rawe.

Mr Patiwat now faces theft charges by Chaiyaphum police and additional robbery charges involving a vehicle by Nong Bua Rawe police.

  Adapted by Asean Now from Siam News 2025-05-16.