UDON THANI: Police have arrested a 23-year-old woman who allegedly robbed a gold shop in Nong Han district and made off with three gold necklaces worth 97,000 baht while her daughter was waiting in her car.
The robbery took place at Teerapan 4 gold shop on Monday evening when the woman took the necklaces of five baht weight in total from the shop.
Wassana Ngam-lun was apprehended at her house in tambon Sumsao of Phen district on Thursday evening, according to police.
Investigators said Ms Wassana confessed to robbing the gold shop. Found with her were a BB gun, 48 BB pellets, three baht weight in two gold necklaces, 34,000 baht in cash and a pawn ticket for the other necklace.
Police later took her to re-enact her alleged crime at the scene.
Ms Wassana said her husband was working in Israel and planned to go come back home next month. She allegedly decided to rob after losing more than 200,000 baht gambling online.
The police quoted her as saying the handgun and pellets were bought for 9,000 baht on the internet.
On the day of the robbery, she picked up her daughter from a kindergarten and parked the car close to the shop, leaving her child in the car, officers said.
Following the robbery, she drove home and later pawned one of the necklaces for 34,000 baht at a pawn shop in Phen district. She later went to a beauty salon to extend her hair to avoid being caught.
Pol Col Cheiwchan Meechai, chief of Nong Han police, said officers tracked down the perpetrator from the footage of the CCTV camera installed along the route where she passed in tambon Na Bua of Phen district.
Her car was last seen in tambon Sumsao, where officers were deployed to question local leaders, which led to her arrest.