PATTAYA, Thailand – Three British nationals have been remanded in custody at the Pattaya Provincial Court after their arrest in connection with a masked home invasion that netted more than 2 million baht in cash from a safe inside Chokchai Village 9 in Nongprue, East Pattaya, on February 26.
On March 2, investigators from Nongprue Police Station escorted the suspects to court for their first remand hearing. The three men — Palmer, 20, Christopher, 38, and Taihul, 32 — have been charged with jointly committing robbery. Palmer was arrested at the Padang Besar Immigration checkpoint in Sadao district, Songkhla province. Christopher was apprehended at Don Mueang International Airport in Bangkok, while Taihul was taken into custody at a hotel in Prakhon Chai district, Buriram province.
During questioning on March 1, all three suspects denied the charges and reportedly gave inconsistent statements. One of the men allegedly behaved erratically and claimed to be mentally unstable. Despite this, police say they remain confident in the evidence, citing links to an apartment in the Jomtien area where the stolen cash was allegedly divided, as well as traced escape routes.
Authorities have collected DNA samples from the suspects for comparison with latent fingerprints recovered at the crime scene by Chonburi’s Police Forensic Division 2.
While being escorted from the detention cell, the three men appeared relaxed, joking with reporters and asking, “How are you?” They also insisted, “We are not mafia,” and at one point requested cigarettes before being placed in a police vehicle and transported to court.
A fourth suspect, described as a white British male, remains in custody as investigators continue to determine his possible involvement before proceeding with further legal action.
Earlier Report: https://www.pattayamail.com/news/pattaya-manhunt-intensifies-after-hooded-gang-storms-british-chefs-home-steals-2-million-baht-safe-537414
