PRACHIN BURI: Three suspects in the theft of an ATM machine containing about 700,000 baht from a market in Kabin Buri district town in the small hours of Feb 4 have been arrested, police said at a press conference on Sunday.
The crime was reported to Kabin Buri police at 6.40am that morning, prompting an investigation.
Footage from security cameras showed a white Toyota pick-up arriving in front of Thai Prakong market shortly after 1am. Three men got off the vehicle and walked to a Siam Commercial Bank ATM fitted in a concrete structure in front of the market. All were wearing face masks.
One of them took an oxyacetylene torch from the pick-up and started to cut the ATM out of the concrete block while the other two maintained a lookout.
It took the one hour and 17 minutes to finishing the cutting work. The three then carried the ATM from the concrete block and loaded it on the pick-up along with the oxyacetylene torch and other equipment. The pick-up was then driven along Highway 304 to Khao Hin Son in Chachoengsao’s Phanom Sarakham district before taking Highway 331 and turning right at the Nong Prue intersection to Highway 7, heading for Samut Prakan province.
From an expanded investigation, with a warrant obtained from the Kabin Buri Court on Feb 5, police arrested Somnuek Chanchom, one of the suspects, at a department store in the northern province of Lampang.
Mr Somnuek identified the two other suspects as Thanachit Pothila and Nopparat Thongchuen. He said they took about 700,000 baht from the ATM.
In Samut Prakan, the three separated, with Mr Somnuek heading for Lampang where he was arrested.
On Feb 6, police arrested Mr Thanachit in Lampang province and Mr Nopparat in Nakhon Sawan.
The three were brought to Kabin Buri police station for legal proceedings. They were initially charged with theft and causing damage to property.