PATTAYA, Thailand – Pattaya police have arrested a 34-year-old man accused of snatching a two-baht gold necklace worth more than 120,000 baht from a gold shop inside a shopping mall, ending a manhunt less than 24 hours after the robbery. The suspect, identified as Kittipong Uamcharoen, also known as “Q,” was arrested at around 8:46 p.m. on July 18 at a rented room in the Mab Song area of Nongprue, East Pattaya. Investigators also seized money believed to be proceeds from the sale of the stolen gold. The robbery took place on the evening of July 17 when the suspect allegedly entered a gold shop and grabbed a two-baht gold necklace, Lotus North Pattaya. According to police, he warned staff not to make any noise, saying he did not want to hurt anyone and needed money to pay off football gambling debts before fleeing the scene.
Investigators from Pattaya City Police tracked the suspect using CCTV footage and information from informants, leading them to his hideout. Police said that when officers arrived to make the arrest, the suspect allegedly asked for more drugs before being taken into custody, but the request was refused. The suspect later led officers to a pawn shop in Nongprue where he admitted selling the stolen necklace for 117,000 baht. During questioning, he confessed to the crime, telling police that part of the money had been used to repay football gambling debts. He also claimed he committed the robbery to raise money to help his younger sister settle a legal dispute involving a mule bank account case in another province. The suspect further told police he deliberately stole a two-baht necklace because he believed a three-baht chain would be harder to sell and more likely to arouse suspicion. Police escorted the suspect to the crime scene and the pawn shop to reconstruct the incident before handing him over to investigators for legal proceedings.
Earlier Report: https://www.pattayamail.com/news/police-probe-id-card-left-behind-after-pattaya-gold-shop-heist-558060
