A Songkhla man who made off with gold ornaments and bars worth more than 5 million baht from a gold shop at a shopping mall in Pathum Thani has been arrested in Bangkok after four days on the run.
Thapanas Nookate, 38, a resident of Hat Yai, was apprehended in front of a shopping mall in Bang Khae and later taken to the Lam Luk Ka police station, Pol Lt Gen Akkharadet Pimonsri, assistant national police chief, said on Saturday.
The suspect was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Thanyaburi court on charges of theft. A motorcycle with no licence plate used for the robbery was seized. Three stolen gold bars and a gold necklace with an amulet, weighing 11 baht (167 grammes) in total, were also seized from him.
Security camera video showed the suspect riding a motorcycle to the Big C superstore in tambon Bueng Kham Phroi of Lam Luk Ka district a day before he robbed the Aurora gold shop, on the second floor of the mall, on Monday.
The suspect made off with a total of 113-baht weight (1.7kg) of gold necklaces and bars, worth 5.4 million baht. After the robbery, he dumped the bike into the Rangsit Prayoonsak canal in Khlong Hok of Thanyaburi district.
Police on Saturday took Thapanas for a re-enactment of crime at the shop.
Pol Lt Gen Akkharadet said police extended the investigation that led to the seizure of 52 more stolen gold necklaces, weighing 50 baht, from the house of the suspect’s wife. The suspect had taken the remaining stolen gold ornaments to two friends to keep. Police were hunting down the two men to retrieve the remaining items.
During questioning, Thapanas confessed to the charges. He said he had surveyed the area for three days before staging the robbery.