Asian heist duo swipes ฿1 million diamond bracelet in bold Pathumwan shopping centre robbery. Collected at the front of the mall by a Bangkok-registered taxi. Afterwards, they disappeared into thin air while heading for Don Mueang.
Bangkok police at Pathumwan Police Station are busy trying to locate a gang that stole a valuable diamond necklace at an exclusive shopping centre location on Wednesday morning. An Asian couple casually walked out with the piece and entered a taxi. Police suspect that the taxi driver was also part of the plot. The vehicle was last spotted heading towards the Don Mueang area of the capital.
Thai police in the cosmopolitan Pathumwan area of Bangkok are scouring the capital and airports for two foreign suspects. The duo, evidently a couple, casually stole a ฿1 million bracelet on Wednesday morning.
The hunt for the thieves who stole the diamond bracelet is ongoing. Officers confirmed the value of the delicate piece on Wednesday morning.
A frantic manager at a high-end jewellery store called in the police.
Police stake full statement from frantic 39-year-old outlet manager at the scene on Wednesday morning after camera footage showed the pair leaving by taxi
39-year-old Mr Somthat gave a full statement to Pathumwan police officers.
The department store is located in a prestigious mall in the heart of Bangkok. The audacious yet simple heist took place in public view.
At length, the pair of thieves later made a daring escape in a taxi.
The brazen escapade sent shockwaves through the city’s retail sector. At the same time, police are still rushing to track down the culprits.
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The incident occurred at around 9:15 am at the store. It is located in the bustling Pathumwan area of downtown Bangkok. Certainly, this is a popular haunt for upmarket shoppers and tourists.
According to reports, the thieves were a duo, comprising a white-complexioned male and female. However, they were of Asian ethnicity.
Thieves appeared to be Asian with white complexions, approximately 30 years old and slightly overweight wearing distinctively fashionable grey clothing
In brief, both were approximately 30 years old and slightly overweight.
They dressed in distinctively hip grey-sleeved shirts. The male suspect wore black pants and glasses, while the female suspect wore black shorts, glasses, and a dark woollen hat.
Some observers suggest they could well have been Japanese or South Korean.
The pair approached the store under the pretence of viewing a yellow gold diamond bracelet. The piece was on sale for approximately ฿1,040,000.
Taking advantage of a moment when the store employee was momentarily distracted, the female suspect swiftly snatched the bracelet.
Afterwards, she concealed it in her left sleeve, using her mobile phone as cover.
Meanwhile, the male suspect pretended to put his phone away in his right pants pocket as a distraction.
Once the theft was complete, the two suspects quickly but calmly left the store. Camera footage showed they made their escape in a taxi waiting outside the mall.
Bangkok taxi was waiting outside the shopping centre
The vehicle was identified as bearing a Bangkok licence plate.
Significantly, at the outset, police believed that the taxi driver may have been an accomplice in the heist.
Pathumwan Police Station was immediately notified of the crime. Officers quickly mobilised and attended the scene.
Police Major General Samart Promchat is the commander of the 6th Precinct. He confirmed that Police Colonel Arkom Chumparat, superintendent of Pathumwan Police Station, was taking charge of the investigation.
Police forensic teams were called in to comb the upmarket outlet for evidence. Simultaneously, police officers worked to gather information from witnesses.
The store manager, Mr Somthat was visibly shaken, even traumatised by the incident. In short, he provided a detailed account of the theft to authorities.
Taxi last spotted driving towards the Don Mueang area of the capital. Police are tracking down the vehicle’s owners as a key lead. Thieves have vanished
The police quickly dispatched radio-operated patrols to intercept the taxi. The vehicle was tracked along Rama IX Road before turning onto the Din Daeng Expressway towards Don Mueang.
However, the taxi then seemed to vanish, leaving investigators with little to go on.
Police are now attempting to verify the identity of the taxi’s owners. They seek to determine if they are connected to the theft.
The rapid disappearance of the taxi suggests a well-coordinated escape plan. At length, it possibly indicates that the culprits are part of a wider criminal network.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about the suspects or the stolen bracelet to come forward and contact the police.
They are hopeful that the suspects will be apprehended soon and brought to justice.
Heist highlights the extremely expensive merchandise on sale in Bangkok’s upmarket shopping centres. Many items sell for the price of high-end properties
This bold theft has put the spotlight on security measures at high-end retail establishments in central Bangkok.
The incident has prompted concerns about the safety of valuable merchandise.
Foreigners in Thailand have nearly ฿600 billion in the bank as inequality and poverty rise alarmingly
Inequality has been rising in Thailand since 2015 as the kingdom became officially an aged society in 2021
Indeed, some of the merchandise sold at some of Bangkok’s exclusive outlets is of extremely high value. So much so that shops in the ultra-exclusive Icon Siam Centre on the Chao Phraya River are by invitation only. They are closed to the general public.
Indeed, some of the merchandise on sale would buy an exclusive property holding in the kingdom.
At the same time, it also vividly illustrates the country’s extremely high wealth divide.
For instance, within a short distance of various upmarket centres are people living in irregular housing by the river, canals or even train tracks.
Pathumwan Police Station, meanwhile, assures the public that they are working diligently on the case.
Officers are confident of solving it, apprehending the gang and recovering the stolen diamond bracelet.
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Further reading:
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Pattaya Motosai in fracas with Hong Kongers over ฿160 fare, refunds money after police are called
Russian man barrels his way into a Pattaya Seven-Eleven store smashing the glass door to pieces
Unemployed US Thai man arrested by Pattaya police for 7 Eleven armed robbery in Banglamung last week
Fast turnaround at Bangkok Bank as armed robber walks out with ฿400,000 in Friday afternoon heist
Pattaya police track Thai woman believed to have stolen a disabled Canadian’s wallet at the beach
