PATTAYA, Thailand – Two suspects identified as Veerapong, 40, and Thammarak, 29, involved in the burglary of the Pattaya Songthaew (Baht-Bus) Cooperative office on Pattaya-Na Klua Road were arrested by Banglamung police on July 9.
Police seized eight mobile phones, a basket containing stolen items, a crowbar, and the motorcycle used in the crime. The burglary occurred over the weekend when the suspects broke into the cooperative office, stealing various items from a safe under the chairman’s desk on July 8. The stolen items included belongings left behind by tourists on baht-busses.
The suspects confessed to arriving at the office on their motorcycle and sneaking in through a window of an adjacent abandoned building. They climbed to the rooftop, jumped over a wall, and used a crowbar to break into the office’s upper floor. The suspects disabled the CCTV cameras by covering them with bags before ransacking the premises and breaking into the safe, stealing two mobile phones. They admitted to consuming snacks and drinks they found on the premises due to exhaustion from the prolonged burglary, which took over two to three hours.
The police investigation, which involved analysing CCTV footage and tracking the stolen mobile phones via GPS, led them to the suspects’ hideout, approximately three kilometres from the crime scene. Both suspects had prior convictions for drug-related offenses. The suspects claimed they committed the burglary because they were unemployed and unable to pay their utility bills. They planned the burglary to steal mobile phones and cut about two kilograms of electrical wiring to sell the copper.
During the crime re-enactment, both suspects apologized to the cooperative chairman for their actions. The total damage to the office’s electrical system and the safe was estimated at over 40,000 baht. The police have charged the suspects and are proceeding with legal action.
Earlier Report: Thieves ransack baht-bus co-op office in Naklua, steal phones and documents
