Pattaya, Thailand – Acting on evidence and intelligence, police arrested Khem, a 30-year-old Laotian national, believed to be a pivotal figure in the daring heist at a gas station near Pattaya City School 7 on Sukhumvit Road that occurred on August 8.
The daring crime, captured by multiple CCTV cameras, showcased the brashness of the culprits as they targeted the gas station employees. Khem and his accomplice, 22-year-old Ton, arrived on an unmarked white Honda PCX motorbike. Menacingly wielding firearms, they instilled terror, coercing the victims to surrender their belongings.
The victims, Miss Narumol and Miss Thanyaporn, found themselves ensnared by the criminals. Narumol’s waist pouch yielded a meager 50 Baht in cash, while Thanyaporn’s contained 820 Baht, amounting to a total of 870 Baht.
Police efforts bore fruit as they retraced the suspects’ escape route, unraveling a path that wove through narrow passages and bustling streets. The turning point came with the revelation that Khem worked as a co-driver on a tourist bus. This crucial clue enabled the authorities to trace Khem’s bus to a hotel in Pattaya.
Subjected to rigorous interrogation, Khem admitted his involvement in the robbery alongside Ton. He revealed that he and his mother had secretly entered Thailand through paths along the Mekong River into Nakorn Phanom province when he was 5 years old. While Khem’s arrest provided a degree of resolution, the search for Ton remains ongoing.
