BANGKOK, Thailand – Police escorted a husband and wife to reenact the crime after they confessed to robbing a gold shop in a shopping mall in Bang Phli District, Samut Prakan, making off with 8 baht-weight of gold, worth approximately 400,000 baht. The suspects initially claimed they needed the money to host a Kathin (forest robe) merit-making ceremony they had promised to a temple.
Investigators from Bang Phli Police Station identified the suspects as Mr. Peerat and Ms. Orasa. The robbery took place at a department store on the evening of April 2. Mr. Peerat, disguised as a food delivery rider and armed with a gun, snatched two 3-baht gold necklaces and one 2-baht necklace from the store before fleeing the scene. The couple was later arrested in their hometown in Kut Bak Subdistrict, Sakon Nakhon Province, on April 3.
Police later brought Mr. Peerat to a bridge over the Samrong Canal, where he had discarded the rider uniform used during the robbery. Officers spent over 20 minutes searching underwater before recovering the clothing, which was part of the evidence linking him to the crime.
CCTV footage inside the gold shop also revealed that Ms. Orasa was involved in the crime. She posed as a customer browsing necklaces to distract staff while her husband rushed in to grab the gold and escape. Additional evidence, including a dropped security guard ID card near the scene, helped confirm their identities.
The couple initially claimed they committed the crime to fulfill a religious promise, but later admitted it was actually to pay off personal debts. One of the 3-baht necklaces was pawned in Sakon Nakhon for 86,000 baht. Authorities are now urging gold shop owners to stay vigilant, especially as gold prices surge, and are increasing security measures to prevent similar crimes.
