PATTAYA, Thailand – Police have launched an intensive manhunt after three hooded suspects carried out a violent late-night home invasion in Pattaya, making off with a safe containing more than 2 million baht in cash.
The robbery took place at a townhouse in Chokchai Village 9, East Pattaya, late on February 26. The suspects, dressed in black hoodies and masks, allegedly forced their way into the home and held a knife to the throat of 32-year-old British chef Wesley in front of his Thai wife.
The gang forced the victims into the kitchen, stole two iPhones, and proceeded upstairs where they removed a safe from a wardrobe containing cash the victim had reportedly withdrawn just days earlier to purchase a new house.
CCTV footage clearly captured the three large-framed suspects calmly walking out of the property before getting into a black four-door pickup truck waiting nearby. The vehicle then rammed through the village security barrier while fleeing the scene.
On February 27, Pol. Col. Nattapol Phongsuksakul, Superintendent of Nongprue Police Station, led investigators, forensic officers from Chonburi Forensic Police Region 2, and provincial and regional investigative teams back to the scene to collect additional evidence, including latent fingerprints. The estate’s entrance barrier was found damaged from the suspects’ escape.
Investigators have questioned four occupants of the house—three British men and one Thai woman—to gather more details about the suspects’ appearance.
A 57-year-old neighbor reported seeing a suspicious pickup truck enter the village around 8:00 p.m., slowing in front of the victim’s house. Around 9:00 p.m., the vehicle was parked near the swimming pool area, and a woman was heard crying for help. The entire robbery reportedly lasted less than two minutes.
CCTV shows the suspects’ vehicle entering the village at 10:19 p.m. (the camera timestamp was 13 minutes slow) and exiting at 10:38 p.m. The truck slowed briefly at the security barrier before accelerating and crashing through it, then turning left to escape.
Police later discovered the victims’ discarded mobile phones in a wooded area near the railway tracks, approximately 2–3 kilometers from the scene. The suspects are believed to have headed toward Wat Boon Kanjanaram Road, and authorities suspect they may still be hiding within the Pattaya area.
Investigators revealed that the victim had arrived in Thailand in November and had been staying for about two months. The stolen cash had reportedly been withdrawn from a bank just 2–3 days prior to the robbery in preparation for purchasing a new home.
Police believe the gang may have had inside information about the cash withdrawal and suspect that a Thai accomplice may have been involved in pointing out the target. Authorities are now urgently working to track down the suspects and bring them to justice.
