Police on Sunday obtained court permission for a warrant to arrest a suspect accused of robbing patients and visitors at Ramathibodi Hospital by spiking their drinking water with a tasteless sedative.
Metropolitan Police Bureau deputy commissioner Pol Maj Gen Thitirat Nongharnpitak said the Criminal Court had granted the police's request to arrest an unidentified man who was caught on the hospital’s security camera and believed to be the suspect.
The man was about 40-50 years old, tall and of large build, and wore a surgical mask to cover his face, Pol Maj Gen Thitirat said.
He said the suspect spiked drinking water with xylazine, a tasteless and odourless sedative used on animals, and gave it to elderly patients who were waiting for treatment at the hospital. The laced water caused the victims to pass out and in some cases almost die. The thief then stole their belongings and fled.
Investigators at Phaya Thai police station had been instructed to track down the suspect and search for links to him from six similar cases which occurred in areas under the jurisdiction of Phaya Thai, Bang Sue and Noppawong police stations.
The victims in these cases were monks. Police assume the suspect may be part of a gang who previously carried out similar robberies using the veterinary sedative.
Pol Maj Gen Thitirat said police studied security footage and found five robberies involving Xylazine had taken place at Ramathibodi hospital, but they could not confirm yet if they were carried out by the same suspect.
Photos released by the Metropolitan Police Bureau show the suspect who drugged at least five patients at Ramathibodi hospital and stole their vauables.
