It takes a disguised
police officer only 15 seconds to steal 200,000 baht at gunpoint from
Krung Thai Bank’s Thepprasit Road branch.
Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya police practiced their response to an armed bank robbery
in an exercise aimed at helping both law enforcement and financial
institutions in the city.
Pattaya’s police chief, Pol. Col. Supathee Bungkhrong, and Thanaphorn
Lertvirasirikul, manager of Krung Thai’s Thepprasit Road branch, ran the
Aug. 21 drill using a disguised police officer to steal 200,000 baht at
gunpoint within 15 seconds.
A second disguised officer waited outside on a motorbike and both fled
with the money down Jomtien Second Road toward Sukhumvit Road.
Bank employees triggered the alarm, requesting help from the police, who
arrived within two minutes to get the robbers’ descriptions and the
perpetrators were soon captured.
Thanaphorn said Krung Thai has installed several security cameras inside
and outside the bank tied to the police station to speed response.
After the drills, Supathee said the exercise is meant to reassure
tourists or locals on bank safety and prepare officers for any
bank-robbery incidents.
