A former municipal deputy mayor has been arrested in Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Thung Song district for his alleged involvement in a robbery in which sacked police also took part.
Thanit Pum-uthaiwirat, 62, a former deputy mayor of Thung Song municipality, is interrogated by a police officer following his arrest on Friday for alleged involvement in a robbery. (Photo by Nucharee Rakrun)
Thanit Pum-uthaiwirat, 62, a former deputy mayor of Thung Song municipality, was apprehended on Friday at his house in tambon Pak Phraek of Thung Sung district, said police.
Mr Thanit, also former director of Krabi's Muang munipality finance division, was wanted on a warrant issued on Nov 20 by the Nakhon Si Thammarat provincial court for colluding with seven accomplices in the robbery and illegal detention of a couple in Nop Phi Tham district of this southern province on Oct 10.
Mr Thanit and his accomplices allegedly robbed Uthai seng Hai, 55, and his wife at the couple’s rubber plantation.
A gang of eight armed men, carrying fake police cards and claiming to be police, forcibly entered the couple’s house near their plantation and robbed them of 15-baht weight of gold, 70,000 baht cash and other valuables worth a total of 500,000 baht.
The gang then tied up the couple and took them on Mr Uthai’s pickup truck to a resort in Nop Phi Tham district, where they were illegally detained.
Police said most members of the gang were former police officers and retired officials.
Mr Uthai denied all charges, but police investigators said they have sold evidence to implicate him in last month’s robbery.
He was taken to Nop Phi Tham police station for legal action. Police will step up the manhunt for the other suspects.