PATTAYA, Thailand – Gold shop owners have joined forces to hire a private investigator to track down a 42-year-old woman suspected of pawning gold-filled jewelry at more than 20 shops across Bangkok and eastern Thailand, causing reported losses of around 5.5 million baht. Police arrested her at a Bangkok hotel after shop owners helped trace her whereabouts. On October 9, Huai Yai Police, led by station chief Pol Col Warawut Nityawan and investigators, questioned Sunisa Meesri, also known as Ae, 42, from Chanthaburi. She was wanted under a Pattaya Provincial Court arrest warrant No. 160/2569 on a fraud charge.
The case began on September 4, when the suspect allegedly pawned a five-baht-weight gold bracelet at a shop in Huai Yai for 275,000 baht. The shop later discovered that the bracelet was gold-filled rather than solid gold and reported the matter to police, leading to the arrest warrant. On the evening of October 8, Din Daeng police arrested the suspect at a hotel in the Sam Sen Nai area of Bangkok’s Phaya Thai district. She was subsequently transferred to Huai Yai Police Station for further questioning.
During more than two hours of questioning, the woman claimed that a foreign man she knew as “Joe,” whom she had met in July, had hired her to pawn the bracelet for 10,000 baht per transaction. She said she did not know the jewelry was gold-filled and claimed she was not its owner. Police said they had not accepted her account as conclusive and were continuing their investigation. Checks reportedly showed that she had previously been involved in 10 cases related to drugs and the Computer Crime Act. Police planned to take her before Pattaya Provincial Court for detention on October 10.
At Suwanna Thong Dee Yaowarat gold shop on Thetsaban Huai Yai Road in Banglamung, owner Chalada Mailueang, 39, showed reporters CCTV images and the bracelet involved in the case. She said the jewelry looked and felt like genuine gold because real gold had been wrapped around a steel core, with its weight carefully adjusted to resemble a five-baht gold bracelet. She explained that her son had been alone in the shop when the woman arrived by van and asked to pawn the bracelet. The customer also acted as though she intended to buy more gold, helping persuade him to accept the item for 275,000 baht. A closer inspection using a grinding tool later revealed the gold-filled construction.
After the discovery, Chalada contacted other gold shop operators in Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Chachoengsao and Chonburi. They identified more than 20 shops that had reportedly been targeted in a similar way, with combined losses estimated at 5.5 million baht. Concerned that the suspect might strike again, the shop owners hired a private investigator to trace her. They then passed the information to Din Daeng police, who made the arrest.
Another alleged victim, Wannaporn Phutchong, 37, owner of Bangkok 5 Gold in Chachoengsao, visited Huai Yai Police Station to provide additional information. She said her shop had suffered a similar incident on August 26. The shop owners warned jewelry businesses to be vigilant when accepting gold items for pawn and said they suspected other people might be involved. They also called on police in other jurisdictions where complaints had been filed to pursue related cases. The allegations remain subject to the police investigation and legal proceedings.
