Police hunt "Arab" gang in Bangkok who followed man from the bank and stole 100,000 baht

[webfact]

Police hunt "Arab" gang in Bangkok who followed man from the bank and stole 100,000 baht

 

Image: Daily News

 

BANGKOK: -- Police are hunting a gang of men thought to be Arabs who followed a man from a bank to a department store then stole 100,000 baht from his car.

 

Pathumwan police said that Asira Wongkulanaparit, 66, was seen on CCTV being followed from a bank in Siam Square where he withdrew money, reports Daily News.

 

The former factory manager and his wife were then followed by three men in a Toyota Yaris to a nearby department store. Asira parked his Benz E 200 on the B floor and left with his wife to buy some fruit and cakes.

 

The couple split up as Asira wanted to change 100,000 baht he had in thousands into 100 baht notes at Kasikorn bank on the third floor. He noticed that three foreign men in caps were close to him on the escalator but thought they were just tourists.

 

He changed the money then after his wife called him to help with the shopping went to get the fruit she had bought. He put it in the car on the back seat along with the money he had changed hidden inside the bag containing the fruit.

 

Later when the couple returned to their car a square hole had been cut with a sharp object in the back window and the money was gone.

 

Police had CCTV footage of the Yaris driving away at speed after it was parked in such a way as to conceal a man in a cap cutting the back window of the Benz.

 

The car had been rented from Chonburi using a false name and fake passport.

 

The car was abandoned in Sukhumvit Road Soi 22 and the thieves had fled. They are believed to be Arab nationals.

 

The incident occurred on September 14th.

 

Source: Daily News

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-10-06

[halloween]

Why does anyone need 1,000 hundred baht notes?

[jamesbrock]

13 minutes ago, webfact said:

They are believed to be Arab nationals.

 

[jamesbrock]

6 minutes ago, halloween said:

Why does anyone need 1,000 hundred baht notes?

 

Why wouldn't a person who needed 1,000 hundred baht notes just withdraw that denomination from the bank in the first place, instead of withdrawing thousands from one bank and changing to hundreds at another?

[halloween]

24 minutes ago, jamesbrock said:

 

Why wouldn't a person who needed 1,000 hundred baht notes just withdraw that denomination from the bank in the first place, instead of withdrawing thousands from one bank and changing to hundreds at another?

Umm.......because they didn't have that many 100s?

OTOH surely they would have had some?

[Andrew65]

37 minutes ago, halloween said:

Why does anyone need 1,000 hundred baht notes?

Maybe his pay roll is cash for workers, or he runs a cash business?

[ChrisY1]

33 minutes ago, jamesbrock said:

 

Why wouldn't a person who needed 1,000 hundred baht notes just withdraw that denomination from the bank in the first place, instead of withdrawing thousands from one bank and changing to hundreds at another?

This is how it's done here.....what you're saying is perfectly logical.

[Cuchulainn]

Arab nationals, eh?

[worgeordie]

Why cut a square hole in the back window,not easy,

quicker to just break the side window,leaving all that

money in a car,will not be covered by insurance,so i hope he

learnt a lesson,an expensive one.

regards worgeordie

[gdgbb]

1 hour ago, halloween said:

Why does anyone need 1,000 hundred baht notes?

 

Why does it matter, it was his money wasn't it?

[gdgbb]

1 hour ago, jamesbrock said:

 

Why wouldn't a person who needed 1,000 hundred baht notes just withdraw that denomination from the bank in the first place, instead of withdrawing thousands from one bank and changing to hundreds at another?

 

Because it's his money and he can do whatever he likes with it without having to justify it to anyone, let alone an over-critical Thaivisa poster.

[gdgbb]

55 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Why cut a square hole in the back window,not easy,

quicker to just break the side window,leaving

 

You would appear to be wrong.

[Thaiwrath]

20 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

 

Because it's his money and he can do whatever he likes with it without having to justify it to anyone, let alone an over-critical Thaivisa poster.

 

'He can do whatever he likes with it'

 

Leaving it on the back seat unattended was not a great idea.

[jamesbrock]

21 minutes ago, gdgbb said:

Because it's his money and he can do whatever he likes with it without having to justify it to anyone, let alone an over-critical Thaivisa poster.

 

Over-critical, or curious - it's seems they both deserve your unnesecary vitriol. 

[damo]

So three men go to the trouble of hiring a car with false documents, spend how long waiting to source a victim who could yield a worthy haul of cash? In this case 100K or 33K per offender. Given the environment and its potential outcome if caught, even just having to live for some time as fugitives per their images throughout the news, these men are either very desperate, unintelligent or plain unlucky.

 

33k is enough to buy a scooter or years in prison and deportation. Sad sad men.

 

 

[Sphere]

I hope the HE, the ambassador of Arabia, has been properly briefed on the impending arrest of their citizens.

[Mister Fixit]

3 hours ago, halloween said:

Why does anyone need 1,000 hundred baht notes?

 

 

To pay salaries?  For change for a shop or shops?

 

I'm sure there would be many other reasons to do that.    

[licka]

4 hours ago, halloween said:

Why does anyone need 1,000 hundred baht notes?

Lap dancers 

[tails]

Oh so "Arab" is a country now? Is that next to Faranglandia?

 

It really surprises me how low some people will go with theft. A group of people stealing only 100,000 baht, it doesn't go very far. Sure some people steal things worth only 5 baht. My point is more that... if I was to risk jail time, it would need to be for a whole lot more money than that! I realise it's more about opportunism or desperation, but hey, why risk jail for such petty amounts of money?

[Acharn]

5 hours ago, halloween said:

Why does anyone need 1,000 hundred baht notes?

For some reason Thai businesses have never accepted the use of checks or bank transfers. There are lots of motorcycle messengers riding around with millions of baht in cash every day. I've wondered about the reason for this for many years. I suppose it has something to do with Chinese culture, because the Thai banks were all started for the purpose of transferring money to China. I know they're familiar with things like letters of credit for international payments, but checks have never been adopted the way they were in America and Europe.

ETA: Whoops! Apparently I didn't read closely enough. He withdrew ฿100,000 from one bank and then changed the bills to ฿100 bills at another? That seems bizarrre to me, too.

Edited October 6, 2016 by Acharn
Realized I misunderstood the question

[Naam]

2 hours ago, Sphere said:

I hope the HE, the ambassador of Arabia, has been properly briefed on the impending arrest of their citizens.

 

you mean Sir Lawrence of Arabia?

[natway09]

Acharn,

Do not forget this is still a "cash " society.

Also billions change hands in cash here everyday & the tax man is not in the loop.

I heard it said that less than 14% of daily transactions have a tax invoice

[Sphere]

29 minutes ago, Naam said:

you mean Sir Lawrence of Arabia?

 

[Autonuaq]

7 hours ago, halloween said:

Why does anyone need 1,000 hundred baht notes?

Probably for the same reason as you have people who go to the bank to top up their money to 1000 because they have the need to do that? 

[SOTIRIOS]

....sounds like quite a yarn.....

 

...just like a certain individual with initial 'K'....and no proof or witnesses whatsoever...

 

...and the supposed victim is the one wearing the cap.....???

 

...and yes...why didn't he just ask for 100's to begin with...???

 

 

 

[geronimo]

5 hours ago, damo said:

So three men go to the trouble of hiring a car with false documents, spend how long waiting to source a victim who could yield a worthy haul of cash? In this case 100K or 33K per offender. Given the environment and its potential outcome if caught, even just having to live for some time as fugitives per their images throughout the news, these men are either very desperate, unintelligent or plain unlucky.

 

33k is enough to buy a scooter or years in prison and deportation. Sad sad men.

 

 

This is the only crime we know they committed, it could be a lot more.

[peterb17]

10 hours ago, halloween said:

Why does anyone need 1,000 hundred baht notes?

 

Unless I'm being a bit dim here- he had 100,000 - presumably in 1000 baht notes.

 

Actually not a vast amount in this cash society .

 

if he changed the thousand baht notes into hundred baht notes- would he not have one million 100 baht notes? 

 

Or or have I just totally lost the plot? 

[arminbkk]

9 minutes ago, peterb17 said:

 

Unless I'm being a bit dim here- he had 100,000 - presumably in 1000 baht notes.

 

Actually not a vast amount in this cash society .

 

if he changed the thousand baht notes into hundred baht notes- would he not have one million 100 baht notes? 

 

Or or have I just totally lost the plot? 

Yes you lost it lol.

If he had Baht 100,000 in Baht 1,000 notes, then He had 100 x Baht 1,000 notes and changed it to 1,000 x Baht 100 notes.

So after changing he then would have had 1,000 notes. Each note a Baht 100 note.

:-)

 

[Brer Fox]

8 hours ago, gdgbb said:

 

Why does it matter, it was his money wasn't it?

Who knows whose money it is/was. Maybe he is now in deep, deep pooh and looking over his shoulder. Anyway he wasted his time visiting the Kasikorn laundry. I suspect he has been set-up.

[whaleboneman]

2 hours ago, peterb17 said:

 

Unless I'm being a bit dim here- he had 100,000 - presumably in 1000 baht notes.

 

Actually not a vast amount in this cash society .

 

if he changed the thousand baht notes into hundred baht notes- would he not have one million 100 baht notes? 

 

Or or have I just totally lost the plot? 

I have a lot of large bills I would like to exchange with you. Where can we meet?