'Robin Hood' Jailed After Giving Away Bt3 Million

[george]

'Robin Hood' jailed after giving away Bt3 million

BANGKOK: Once upon a time, a man was riding home on his motorbike when he came across two bags that had fallen out of a Securicor armoured van. He gathered up the bags, which were stuffed with Bt500 and Bt1,000 notes, took them home and proceeded to give away more than Bt3 million to poor people in his neighbourhood.

No, this is not the plot of a fairytale but a real story that occurred on Monday.

By 8pm that night, Preecha Jaiboon, the man who found the money, also discovered that there probably wouldn't be a happy ending to the tale. He was in police custody, undone by his "generosity".

In recounting the day's events to police, Preecha, a security officer at a Chinese foundation, said he found the bags in front of the Surawongse tollgate as he was returning to his Bang Rak home at 8am. On discovering they were full of money, almost Bt10 million in all, his first thought was that he would be able to help the poor people of his neighbourhood - he would be like the legendary Sua Bai, the Thai Robin Hood.

Preecha scooped up the money bags and raced off, determined to give much of it away. When he got back to the Watchong community of Bang Rak district on Monday morning, Preecha started handing out the banknotes. He spread joy among some 50 of his neighbours - including several monks - and had given away more than Bt3 million by the end of the day.

But what was a dream come true for Preecha and his neighbours was their worst nightmare come true for the driver and two security officers who had been in the Securicor van that lost the money.

By Wednesday, they had been arrested and charged with conspiracy to steal the money.

Fortunately for them, good news travels fast. Stories of Preecha's gifts soon spread and police heard about the great give-away.

The fairytale fell apart.

Soon after the driver and security men were arrested, Preecha, 50, and his friend Somchai Insuwan, 44, with whom he had discussed his great find, were themselves in custody.

Police located and arrested Preecha at 11:30pm on Wednesday, and arrested Somchai after questioning Preecha, said Bang Rak police chief Colonel Arjin Jaruworn. Neither of the men knew the Securicor employees, who were therefore cleared of suspicion.

Preecha and Somchai were charged with collaboration in theft.

Driver Uthane Wong-in, 31, and officers Samrej Phramongkol, 45, and Laem Boon-om, 34, told Lt Col Apinop Sujipinyo, an inspector at Bang Rak police station, that they realised the two money bags were missing when they delivered money to the Bangkok Bank's Urupong branch. They had been assigned to deliver a total of Bt80 million from the head office to the Urupong and Vibhawadi branches. But when they got to the Urupong destination, they found the sliding door hadn't been locked and had opened.

The three frightened men rushed to tell police that Bt9.5 million had disappeared from the van. Their story was not believed and on Wednesday, they were charged with conspiracy to steal the cash.

Their woes were in sharp contrast to Preecha's happiness.

When arrested, Preecha told police that he discussed with Somchai whether he should return the money but decided to keep it because he had always dreamed of helping poor people in his neighbourhood.

"I know it was illegal to keep it but I thought the recipients would not get in trouble. I was glad to see the poor getting the money. I don't mind being jailed for that," Preecha told The Nation yesterday.

"Nobody refused to take it. They said thank you and some asked where I got the money. I said I found it."

For police, finding Preecha was much easier than finding the cash he had given away.

"So far, police have yet to find Bt1.4 million," said Maj Gen Padej Thalawong, commander of Metropolitan Police Division 6.

As police yesterday took Preecha to re-enact the event in his neighbourhood, a woman stepped forward and handed over Bt500 she said she had received from him.

Earlier, investigators had retrieved money from monks in the neighbourhood's temple. However, two monks who had received money could not be found.

Preecha told The Nation that before his arrest he had been thinking about what to do with the rest of the Bt9.5 million. He said his wife recently left him and he was caring for his two-year-old son. He said if he hadn't been arrested, he had wanted to buy a big house for himself and the boy.

--The Nation 2004-01-30

[Guest chingy]

poor guy, i wish he was much smarter, founders keepers that's all i can say

[george]

Bangkok Post version:

B9m windfall is Robin Hood's downfall

BANGKOK: Preecha Jaiboon became instantly rich when he stumbled on two money bags containing 9.5 million baht in cash.

With a heart of gold, he gave away some of the money to the poor in his neighbourhood. Two days later, he and a friend landed behind bars when police paid a visit and informed them the money they found belong to a bank.

Mr Preecha, a security guard at a Thai-Chinese association, found two bags at the Suriwong expressway entrance as he was cycling on Monday. Opening them up, he was shocked to find they were stuffed with cash. He then took the bags to his friend Somchai Insuwan, also a security guard, for safe-keeping.

The two bags of money had fallen from a Securicor van without the knowledge of its driver, Uthen Wong-in. He told police the van's lock malfunctioned and the back door swung open.

Overwhelmed with the unexpected jackpot, Mr Preecha went to Wat Muang Khae the same day and gave 50,000 baht each to four monks. He also handed out cash, from 300 baht to 1,000 baht, to about 50 people he met at the temple.

``I donated some money to the temple because I used to stay there and lived on rice from the monks,'' the 50-year-old Preecha said.

But while Mr Preecha and Mr Somchai were on their spending spree, Mr Uthen was languishing behind bars at Bang Rak police station on a charge that he stole the money.

The two security guards could have escaped arrest with the fortune had they not played Robin Hood. A Bang Rak police detective making routine rounds of Wat Muang Khae heard from the residents of a philanthropist who came to their community on Monday and handed out cash to everyone he met.

Inquiries by the officer led to the identification of the kind-hearted donor.

On Wednesday night, Bang Rak police came knocking on the door of Mr Somchai's home and asked to search it. They found 900,000 baht hidden in the bathroom and another 500,000 baht in the attic _ along with a gold necklace, a gold bracelet, a mobile phone and a DVD player, all brand new.

Faced with the evidence, both Mr Preecha and Mr Somchai confessed and were charged with theft.

Police said they were still tracing the rest of the cash and warned that people who received money from Mr Preecha should return it or risk being charged with receiving stolen valuables.

As for Mr Uthen, police said they would drop charges against him.

--The Post 2004-01-30