Pattaya, Thailand – Police arrested two men believed to be part of a criminal gang responsible for stealing highway electrical lines on the Pattaya-Mab Ta Put Rayong section of Highway 7, in Banglamung district, causing significant damage worth millions of baht.
The two suspects, identified as Anulak, aged 35, and Traipob, aged 31, were arrested shortly after midnight on September 13. Authorities suspect that the two individuals collaborated in a series of criminal acts targeting critical electrical infrastructure along this highway section, resulting in extensive damage. They are now facing charges related to ‘tampering with and using electrical materials for unauthorized purposes during nighttime hours’.
This incident is part of a broader pattern of criminal activity that has plagued the region in recent weeks. In late August, a group of three to four criminals used large-sized cutting tools to sever highway fences and electrical lines along the same stretch of Highway 7, specifically at kilometer marker 125 in Banglamung district.
The criminals remained undetected until highway patrol officers stumbled upon the scene while the crimes were in progress. This led to a pursuit and confrontation with the offenders, resulting in the arrest of one suspect, Butakeo, a 38-year-old Laotian national. Unfortunately, the remaining culprits managed to escape. The damage caused by this group of criminals was estimated to be around 10 million baht.
Butakeo admitted his involvement in the criminal activities but claimed to be a low-level accomplice. He alleged that a Thai national, the apparent ringleader, recruited him and others to carry out these criminal acts.
Their motive was to steal the electrical cables and sell the materials to scrap shops, sharing the proceeds among themselves. The arrested suspects confessed to having committed similar acts of vandalism and theft on highways in Chonburi and Rayong provinces on more than 50 occasions, earning approximately 20,000 baht per heist. In total, they accumulated nearly one million baht from these illicit activities. The funds were primarily used for daily living expenses, online gambling, and drug-related activities.
Authorities are actively pursuing the remaining fugitives involved in these criminal activities and are determined to dismantle the network responsible for the extensive damage to the highway’s critical infrastructure.
