Police have arrested
“Eddie” Anuchat Bupasiri for gold theft.
Boonlua Chatree
A Swedish-Thai man who cased a Central Pattaya gold
shop for three days was arrested after allegedly stealing 122,000 baht
in gold in an after-dark smash-and-grab.
“Eddie” Anuchat Bupasiri, 35, was tackled by a
motorcycle taxi driver and detained for police July 26 after fleeing the
Suwannakorn gold shop near the Best Supermarket on Second Road around 8
p.m. Police found two necklaces with a combined five-baht weight on him.
Shop owner Atchara Hongsawong, 48, said Bupasiri -
who grew up and lives in Sweden - allegedly had been hanging out in the
shop for hours each of the past three days, then grabbed the necklaces
just as her daughter was closing the shop.
Police said Bupasiri confessed to the theft, saying
he wanted to use the gold to pay for a wedding dowry for his Thai
girlfriend.
Atchara said she’d been suspicious of the
Thai-looking man who spoke halting English to her since he came in with
envelopes supposedly full of cash and a credit card he refused to use.
She said he’d look over gold for hours, then say he’d return the next
day to pay.
On the third day, Bupasiri apparently got over his
nerves, tried to pawn off the fake money, then grabbed the gold and ran.
Police believe the Swedish-Thai man has been living
in the kingdom for a while and are investigating if he committed similar
crimes elsewhere.
