Police Set Up Cordon To Capture Brazen Phuket Gold Shop Robbers

[webfact]

Police set up cordon to capture brazen Phuket gold shop robbers

Phuket Gazette

CCTV captures the latest Phuket gold shop robbery. Police have surrounded the Sri Paiboon fish processing plant to catch the two suspects. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

Phuket Provincial Police Deputy Superintendent Serm Kwannimit stands by the getaway bike while holding one of the dropped gold bracelets. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Police have surrounded a disused fish processing plant on the east side of Phuket Town this afternoon in the hope of capturing two men who shot a gold shop owner with an air pistol before making off with an estimated 3 million baht in jewelry.

Phuket City Police were informed at 1:30pm that the Yong Chuan gold shop in the Rassada National Housing Estate, just north of Rassada Pier, had just been robbed.

Shopowner Sirinan Sirikolworakul, 64, was alone at the shop when the robbery occurred and told police that the crime was carried out by two men.

The pair arrived at the gold shop on a Phuket-registered red and white Honda Wave.

On entering the establishment, one of the men shot Ms Sirinan three times in the chest with an air pistol while the other proceeded to smash the glass counters containing the jewelry with a hammer.

Ms Sirinan was not injured by the air-gun pellets.

From blood found on the broken glass, police believe that one of the men cut himself as he was grabbing handfuls of gold necklaces and bracelets from the smashed display counters.

Having taken what they could, the pair fled with their haul on the motorbike.

Police responding to the robbery discovered the abandoned Honda Wave less than a kilometer from the scene at the empty Sri Paiboon Chai fish processing plant at Koh Sireh.

Around the motorbike were some of the stolen jewelry items dropped by the thieves. Police also recovered a weapon and clothing, thought to have been used in the robbery, in a nearby restroom.

A wig believed to belong to one of the robbers was found along their escape route by a member of the public and handed in to police.

Believing that the thieves are still in the area police have surrounded the defunct fish plant in the hope of catching them.

Phuket City Police Capt Thada Sodarak, who is leading the operation, told reporters that the Yong Chuan gold shop was the scene of an attempted robbery last month when two individuals were scared off by members of the public before they could mount the robbery.

It is not known whether or not the perpetrators of today’s robbery were the same men who failed to rob the gold shop in August.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle17939.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-09-17

[sirchai]

A wig believed to belong to one of the robbers was found along their escape route by a member of the public and handed in to police.

Ms Sirinan was not injured by the air-gun pellets. The wigged air gun robbers.

One of the robbers was a wig, I'd say-------

Edited September 17, 2012 by sirchai

[webfact]

Phuket Police gold thief dragnet comes up empty

Phuket Gazette

Phuket Provincial Police Inspector Wanchai Palawan holds an abandoned apron and the air pistol used in the robbery. Photo: Kritsada Meuanhawong

PHUKET: -- Phuket City Police have given up their attempt to net a pair of brazen gold thieves at a fish factory today.

They have now issued “wanted alerts” for the two men to police stations throughout the neighboring provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi.

Included in the alerts are images of the two wanted men, who police believe are Burmese, and descriptions of the clothing they changed into after stealing almost 3 million baht's worth of gold jewelry.

Both men were wearing black t-shirts and one was wearing a black hat with “LAMPARD 8” embroidered on it at last sighting.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle17941.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-09-18

[webfact]

Phuket Police identify one brazen gold thief

Phuket Gazette

CCTV shows 'Son' driving off on the back of a motorbike taxi after the 'smash and grab' gold shop robbery. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Phuket City Police have identified one member of the brazen gold bandit duo who robbed a shop of about 3 million baht worth of gold jewelry yesterday.

Police identified the man only as “Son”, a roadside food vendor.

After a dragnet attempt at a fish factory left police empty handed, they raided Son’s home, only to find that he and his wife had already fled the premises.

After the motorbike used to commit the robbery was found abandoned, CCTV captured a second motorbike carrying one of the culprits. The license plate revealed that it was registered to a motorbike taxi driver, explained Phuket Provincial Police Commander Chonasit Wattanavrangkul today.

“After questioning the motorbike taxi driver, he told us where the suspect had asked to be taken,” said Maj Gen Chonasit.

“Police officers questioned neighbors who explained that the man who lived in the house had come home earlier that day and rushed out with his wife at about 5pm yesterday,” Gen Chonasit explained.

All police stations in Region 8 have been contacted about the case, he added.

Region 8 comprises Ranong, Phang Nga, Krabi, Phuket, Chumphon, Surat Thani, and Nakhon Sri Thammarat.

“I will call together a Phuket Police investigation team for a meeting later today to determine any possible escape routes the two thieves may have used,” Maj Gen Chonasit said.

The other member of the dynamic duo remains unidentified.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...hief-17946.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-09-18

[stevenl]

Why do they even bother with a wig when they leave traces behind like they did.