A Thai man was arrested on Saturday, July 18, after robbing a gold shop in Pattaya and accidentally leaving his identification card at the scene.
The robbery took place at about 5.45pm on July 17 at a gold store inside a shopping centre in northern Pattaya. Police said the suspect fled with a gold necklace worth more than 130,000 baht.
According to shop employees, the man threatened staff during the robbery, saying, “Keep quiet. I don’t want to kill anyone.” The shop employees also told investigators that he claimed he needed money to repay gambling debts.
Police said the suspect escaped with the necklace but dropped his identification card while leaving the shop, allowing police to identify him. However, he was identified in the public only as 34 year old Q.
CCTV footage reviewed by officers reportedly showed the suspect entering the shop wearing a black T-shirt, black jeans and a black cap. According to police, he asked to try on a gold necklace before threatening an employee and leaving with the jewellery.
Investigators tracked the accused to a rented room in Soi Map Song in Chon Buri, where he was arrested. Q admitted to the robbery during questioning. However, officers did not recover the stolen necklace from the room.
Q told investigators he had sold the necklace to a gold shop in Soi Noen Plub Wan for 117,000 baht and used much of the money to repay debts. He claimed about 65,000 baht remained in his bank account.
The suspect also told police that mounting financial problems had motivated the robbery. He claimed he had previously helped compensate victims after his sister became involved in a mule account case, placing him under financial pressure.
According to police, the accused also admitted borrowing money from informal lenders before gambling on World Cup matches through online betting websites. He said he hoped to win enough money to repay his debts but instead lost the funds and accumulated further debt.
Police have charged the accused under Section 336 of the Criminal Law in connection with the alleged robbery. The investigation is continuing.
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