Four charged with skimming B28m from bank ATM cash

BANGKOK: -- Four men have been arrested and charged with stealing and hiding more than 28 million baht in cash meant for replenishing automatic teller machines (ATMs) in Bangkok. Crime suppression police identified the suspects as Chatchai Jongsirirat, 32, Pichet Kraibut, 29, Somkiat Sonjai, 32, and Arak Maila-iad, 30.

Mr Chatchai and Mr Pichet, both formerly employed by Krungthai Thurakij Service Co, were arrested while on the run in Phuket on Tuesday.

They allegedly stole some of the cash which was to be delivered to 16 ATMs throughout Bangkok between Aug 23 and 26. The stolen cash totalled 28.8 million baht.

Police said the duo would take money from an ATM cash storage box and hide it in a compartment behind the machine. After work, they would come back to collect the cash.

Krungthai Thurakij later ordered a check of the working roster and set up an internal probe which traced the missing money to the men. The company filed a police complaint.

Mr Chatchai and Mr Pichet escaped to Phuket, taking the cash with them. When police raided their rented room, they found 6.4 million baht stuffed in a cardboard box.

The men said they asked Mr Somkiat and Mr Arak to keep another 11.7 million baht. Police discovered that portion of the cash stuffed in an empty barrel in a warehouse, and another 800,000 baht was recovered later from another location.

Mr Somkiat and Mr Arak were arrested on Aug 14 in Phangnga and charged with accepting stolen goods.

From the arrests, police seized 18.9 million baht in cash, a laptop computer, an unregistered Honda Accord sedan, a Ford car and two mobile phones.

Mr Chatchai and Mr Pichet told police they used the money to pay off credit card debts, buy cars and spend on nightlife.

Somsin Thiancharaskul, director of Krungthai Thurakij's business support unit, said not all the cash had been recovered and the company would sue the suspects.

He said Mr Chatchai and Mr Pichet were able to plan the theft because they knew the cash delivery system well.

--Bangkok Post 2005-09-16

They could have absconded quietly to somewhere and lived a low-profile existence and probably alluded arrest. For many, however, the need to be flashy and showy is greater than the need for comfort and convenience.

I hope they enjoyed their brief time as "rich" men.