Phuket Police hunting armed gunman after 'lightning robbery'

Phuket Gazette

GONE IN SIXTY SECONDS: The robber, caught here on one of the bank’s security cameras, was gone in less than a minute. Photo: Warisa Temram

Phuket City Police chief Chote Chidchai (right) questions branch assistant manager Boonlert Chaitaweesub. Photo: Warisa Temram

PHUKET: -- Phuket City Police are scouring the streets of Phuket for a man who robbed a Kasikorn Bank branch at gunpoint, making off with 694,000 baht in less than a minute:

Police were alerted to the robbery, at the Tesco Lotus Chaofa shopping complex in Wichit, at 6:15pm.

“There were a only a few customers waiting in the queue. Then this man wearing a helmet covering his nose and mouth came running inside the bank, straight into the manager’s office,” said one teller at the bank.

The man was wearing black leather jacket and jeans, she said.

“When he saw nobody in the office, he looked at us and threatened us with a gun, telling us to put money in his bag. He said, ‘Only 1,000 baht notes’,” the teller added.

Looking to keep the situation calm, Boonlert Chaitaweesub, assistant manager at the branch, pleaded with the robber, “Please don’t hurt anyone”, another teller said.

“The robber took about one minute to rob the bank. From the three counters open, he got about 694,000 baht in total, then he sped off on a motorcycle with no license plates,” Mr Boonlert said.

Phuket City Police Superintendent Chote Chidchai, armed with deputy superintendents and inspectors, led the investigation in person.

Phuket City Police Deputy Superintendent Chaiwat Auykham told the Phuket Gazette, “We have checked every CCTV camera in the area and we now know where the robber was heading to.”

He declined to give any further details at this time.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle12146.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-01-30

Looking at the photo the few customers must have scarpered pretty quickly.

how did they get the guys in wheelchair responsible for the CCTV up to the 4th floor for this?

Phuket City Police Superintendent Chote Chidchai, armed with deputy superintendents and inspectors, led the investigation in person.

".Sounds like:" Yingluck with her older brother armed with rubber boots got rid off the floods in person "to me.

It's always nice to have a good laugh..keeps us young.............

I think it was an inside job. How would you know how busy it would be? Inside a shopping mall? Only 1 person?

On second thought, it could be easy for someone on the ground floor to accomplish this, if the exit is close and perhaps a second person was ready for a hand off.