Burglars beat and robbed a British-Thai couple in their Pratamnak Hill home, escaping with nearly a million baht in cash and jewelry.
David Snell, 62, and his 52-year-old wife Benja Semlek suffered serious blows to the head from a hammer wielded by the thieves to extract the location of a safe. Frightened for her life, Benja told them where the safe was hidden in the bedroom of their Majestic Resort Village Home and the same hammer was used to pry it open.
Police Lt. Col. Tarathep Tupanit inspects the scene of the crime.
After being transported to Pattaya International Hospital for treatment, the couple said the burglars escaped with the equivalent of 800,000 baht in euros, Rolex watch, diamonds and gold jewelry.
Swimming pool cleaner Charoenchai Koktabtim, 32, said he arrived at the Soi Kasetsin house just after the burglary to find Snell running from the house covered in blood. Inside the Nakhon Sawan native discovered Benja lying on the bed, her arms tied behind her with a belt. Snell had managed to escape similar belt bondage to call for help.
Lt. Col. Tarathep Tupanit speculated that the thieves knew the couple’s routine well and knew when they’d be alone so they could be coerced into giving up their property. An investigation is now under way.
