A manhunt was underway after two men robbed employees of a security company of 7.2 million baht cash in Bangkok's Nong Khaem district on Saturday night.
The robbery occurred at about 7.50pm in front of a Big C superstore on Phetkasem road as two employees of Brink's Security (Thailand) Limited were carrying a bag containing 7.2 million baht in cash from a branch of Siam Commercial Bank to a cash delivery truck.
Chaiyut Somngam, 31, told police that he and Somyos Bukhunthes, 41, were on their daily cash collection round from department stores and banks along Phetkasem road and arrived at Big C superstore's Phutthamonthon Sai 3 branch at about 7.30pm.
Chaiyut said he and Mr Somyos went up to pick a bag containing 7.2 million baht from the Siam Commercial Bank, which is located on the ground floor of the superstore.
They stepped out of the store and were about three metres from the rear of the delivery truck when two men pulled up on a motorcycle. The pillion rider, about 170 centimetres tall and wearing a black crash helmet, got off the motorcycle, produced a gun and fired one shot into the air before forcing him at a gunpoint to throw the money bag to the ground, said Mr Chaiyut.
Mr Chayut said he dropped the bag, the motorcycle driver picked it up, the pillion rider fired another shot into the air and the two sped off.
Witnesses gave the same account to the police, saying the robbery was apparently well-planned, taking only about 10 seconds from start to finish.
A team of police from Nong Khang Phlu police station, led by Pol Col Teerasak Pinyo, chief investigator of 9th Division of the Metropolitan Police, examined the scene on Sunday afternoon to collect evidence and checked all security cameras in the area.