Police yesterday, September 21, arrested a Dutch man after he stole an ATM and dragged it along a road in Khon Kaen province, claiming he wanted to solve his family’s financial problems.
Officers from Ban Ped Police Station received a complaint from a resident in the Ban Tum sub-district that a foreign man stole an ATM belonging to Siam Commercial Bank, located outside a local shophouse on Maliwan Road.
Police reviewed security camera footage and spotted the thief chaining the ATM to a black pickup before attempting to drag the machine away. He was unable to get far, abandoning both the vehicle and the ATM about 20 metres from the scene before hiding in the roadside forest.
The suspect, a Dutch national whose name has not been disclosed, was later arrested. He reportedly told police that he attempted the robbery in imitation of a film scene but failed.
The man explained that he had been living in Thailand with his Thai wife for around six years and had invested about 10 million baht into her restaurant on Pracha Samran Road in central Khon Kaen, but the business had struggled.
He said he and his family were experiencing severe financial difficulties and could not cover their daily expenses. Shortly before the incident, he had argued with his wife over money.
According to police, he told his wife he was going to meet a friend in Nong Khai province and drove the family’s pickup truck out of the house to carry out the theft. He insisted that his wife had no knowledge of his actions.
The Dutchman was charged under Section 335 of the Criminal Law: committing nighttime theft, damaging a barrier intended to protect property, and using a vehicle to facilitate the crime.
The offence carries a penalty of one to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of between 20,000 and 100,000 baht. Police reportedly denied his request for bail.
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