>> SAMUT PRAKAN: Three Colombian nationals -- two men and one woman -- have been arrested for a string of burglaries across luxury houses in Samut Prakan and nearby provinces.
Alexandro Giovan Cuellar Pulido, Henry Yeferson Delgado Bogota and Maricela Cifuentes Hernandez were wanted on arrest warrants issued by the Samut Prakan Provincial Court on Wednesday for collusion in theft, Pol Maj Gen Wallop Araemlar, chief of Samut Prakan police, said on Friday.
The suspects were caught in Pathum Thani province on Wednesday. Police seized a Toyota Vios with Chon Buri licence plates, two Prachuap Khiri Khan licence plates, burglary tools, beanie hats, banknotes worth 32,700 baht, banknotes in foreign currencies and 100 other items.
Pol Col Chottiwat Luangwilai, deputy Samut Prakan police chief, said the arrests followed a report of a home break-in at a luxury housing estate in tambon Bang Muang of Muang district, Samut Prakan, around 10.45pm on Aug 29.
Police inspected the scene and found that a safe in a bedroom on the second floor of the house had been forced open.
Some 200,000 baht in cash, US$500 (about 17,900 baht), 50,000 rupees (21,400 baht), gold necklaces, gold rings and a diamond-studded necklace worth about 500,000 baht were stolen, according to Pol Col Chottiwat.
Security camera footage from the housing estate showed the Colombian gang had broken into another house that same night before entering the place with the safe.
On Sept 2, the gang had also broken into two other houses in an area under the jurisdiction of Bang Kaew station in Samut Prakan.
This prompted police to launch an investigation that led to the identification of the three Colombian suspects involved in the home break-ins.
The suspects had been staying in a rented house in Chon Buri province. They had travelled from this eastern province to stage burglaries in Samut Prakan and other nearby provinces before returning to Chon Buri.
On Wednesday, investigators learned the gang was planning another home break-in in Pathum Thani province. The officers monitored their movements and subsequently managed to arrest them. Burglary tools and other items were handed over to Muang police in Samut Prakan.