A security guard and patrol police officers swiftly arrested a Thai man who stole five gold necklaces worth approximately 1.3 million baht from a shop inside a shopping mall in Hat Yai district in the southern province of Songkhla yesterday, June 24.
The security guard pursued the thief from the mall on Phetchakasem Road to Soi Phetchakasem 41, around 300 metres away. Patrol officers from Hat Yai Police Station witnessed the chase and quickly intervened.
They managed to stop the suspect in the alley and recovered the stolen necklaces from his shirt pocket. The thief was identified as 35 year old Youtsaphon Nirattisai. He was unarmed and claimed to have acted alone.
Staff at the gold shop told ThaiRath that three female employees were present at the time. Youtsaphon posed as a customer and asked to view five different gold necklaces.
He then inquired about where the shop kept its cash, but the staff informed him that there was none on-site. At that point, Youtsaphon grabbed the necklaces and fled.
Youtsaphon later claimed he and his family were facing severe financial difficulties and were burdened with debt. Before committing the theft, he travelled by baht bus from his home to Kim Yong Market to buy sunglasses, then took a tuk tuk to the shopping mall.
He reportedly changed clothes and entered the mall’s bathroom twice to deliberate whether or not to proceed with the crime, before finally deciding to carry it out.
Police urged gold shop owners and staff to strengthen their security measures, particularly during times of economic hardship.
Officers advised shops to deny service to anyone wearing items that obscure their identity such as sunglasses, hats, or face masks, or to ask them to remove these before entering.
The specific charges or legal punishment issued against Youtsaphon were not disclosed in the report. However, under Section 334 of the Criminal Law, he could face up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to 60,000 baht.
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