A security guard at a gambling venue in Samut Prakan's Muang district that was robbed last week has reported to police, insisting that even though he and the thieves exchanged fire no one was hurt.
Wutthipong Khotsaen, 28, was named in an arrest warrant issued by the Samut Prakan Provincial Court for unlawful possession of a weapon and discharging it illegally in a public place.
He reported to Pol Col Phumphat Phattarasriwongchai, deputy chief at Muang police station, on Monday.
The theft came to light when the popular community Facebook page Sai Mai Tong Rod (Sai Mai District Must Survive) reported that eight armed men had robbed a gambling den on Srinakarin Road in Muang district on the night of Nov 9, leading to a shootout that the administrator of the page said left one person dead and one wounded. The robbers reportedly got away with 400,000 baht.
Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, a deputy national police chief, later spoke with the Facebook page administrator and sent his own people to investigate. They found there had been a shooting at an illegal gambling den but no one had died.
The revelation led to the transfer of four senior officers. Pol Col Termrat Jindawat, the station chief, was among those moved to the provincial police operations centre after he initially claimed he had not been informed about the incident. He later phoned Pol Gen Surachate and acknowledged the shooting had occurred.
During questioning, Mr Wutthipong told police that he and two assistants had been working as guards inside the gambling den for two days.
He said seven men arrived on three motorcycles late on Nov 9. They parked their bikes in front of the premises. Two of them, carrying guns, entered the building and the other five armed men stood out front.
The two men who went inside reportedly shouted at everyone to lie down before robbing them. One threatened a woman with a gun, demanding she hand him her gold necklace. Before leaving, the men fired two shots into the air, according to the guard.
Mr Wutthipong said he fired two shots in the air in response. The robbers then fled on their motorcycles toward Srinakarin Road.
He insisted nobody was killed or injured. Police have so far obtained arrest warrants for two men, including Mr Wutthipong.
On Friday, a man identified as Aow who owns a restaurant called Khrua Ban Lung, which was alleged to be the gambling venue, told police he heard a gunshot from within the restaurant. He went outside to investigate but did not see anyone injured or a shooter, he said.