'Buyer' robs owner of B5.2m watch in hotel lobby

'Buyer' robs owner of B5.2m watch in hotel lobby

A photo of the stolen Richard Mille 11-03 titanium watch posted on Facebook by the owner - before he was held up and robbed of it by a buyer.(Facebook account Naset Thaweephasitkul)
A photo of the stolen Richard Mille 11-03 titanium watch posted on Facebook by the owner - before he was held up and robbed of it by a buyer.(Facebook account Naset Thaweephasitkul)

An armed robber posing as a buyer stole a 5.2-million-baht Richard Mille watch from its owner in Chatuchak district early on Friday morning.

Thaweephat Sitthikul, 35, told police that he trades in steel and luxury watches. He had travelled to  Bangkok from Songkhla with his girlfriend to show a Richard Mille RM 011-03 Ti watch he offered for sale on Facebook to a man who expressed an intention to buy it. 

He checked in at a hotel on Soi Lat Phrao 4 and made an appointment with the man for 9pm on Thursday.

The buyer did not show up at the set time and later arranged another meeting for 1.30am on Friday in the hotel lobby.

At the agreed time, a man aged 20-30 arrived, wearing a cap, a blue shirt and jeans, Mr Thaweephat said.

They talked for about five minutes. Then the stranger showed Mr Thaweephat a pistol, and ran out of the hotel with the watch.

Mr Thaweephat said when he ran after the man, the robber fired a warning shot in the air, before getting on an idling motorcycle parked at the entrance of Soi Lat Phrao 4 and fleeing. The robber fired two more shots as he left, but he was not hit.

In the street, police found three spent 9mm shells and a magazine for a 9mm pistol.

Pol Col Krisana Patanacharoen, deputy police spokesman, said the suspect was 175-180 centimetres tall, had a pale complexion, wore Nudie jeans, a Gucci cap and Fred Perry sneakers, and rode a red and black Honda Wave motorcycle.

National police chief Pol Gen Chakthip Chaijinda had ordered a hunt for the suspect, he said. 

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