Suspected telephone cable thieves inspired by stories of criminals caught for similar crimes now find themselves also behind bars after Banglamung Police caught them in the act.
Buntham Somsak, 53; Pornthep Sarapong, 36; and a 15-year-old boy, were apprehended by officers April 21 after their pickup truck ran a blockade on Highway 36 and tried to escape on Sukhumvit Road. A fourth suspect, identified only as 24-year-old “Golf,” escaped.
Officers detain the three suspects on the front steps of the police station.
Police spotted the four carrying three coils of telephone line outside Pornthep Village 5 in Nong Plalai and pursued their Ford Ranger as they fled. Police confiscated the coils the suspects allegedly threw from the truck as well as knives and gloves.
Police said the suspects confessed to deciding to cut down the wire after seeing television reports of others getting arrested for doing the same thing. They purportedly claimed, however, they’d been successful in several other wire-cutting jobs in Saraburi.
