TWO Laotian men have been arrested in their country on charges of mounting a brazen robbery of a gold shop in Chiang Rai on the Thai side of the border making off with 184 baht weight of gold ornaments before fleeing across the Mekong river back to their homeland earlier this month, Naewna newspaper said today (Aug. 20).
Laotian police in Bokeo province apprehended the two suspects, Mr. Somchai, 32, a resident of Houayxay district, and Mr. Ai, 31, a skipper based in Houayxay town. They seized a handgun as evidence with the latter being charged as an accomplice in this crime.
Laotian authorities are currently examining the weapon and searching for the stolen gold jewellery before coordinating their extradition to Thailand to face charges based on arrest warrants issued by Thoeng Provincial Court.
The gold shop in a shopping mall was robbed during daytime on Aug. 4 with the two suspects, who were each armed with 9mm handguns and one was wearing a face mask but the other left his face open, arriving on a motorcycle and after parking it barged in and scooped up the large amount of gold ornaments and put it in a shoulder bag then fled.
They zoomed to a boat dock on Mekong river just 200 metres away from the shopping mall and quickly sailed back to Lao side with the whole crime, from start to their escape, taking just 10 minutes.
Chiang Khong police station had gathered evidence clearly identifying the perpetrators and obtained arrest warrants for them from the Thoeng Provincial Court. They worked closely with the Bokeo Provincial Police Command, which led to pressure building up and ultimately the successful arrest of the suspects.
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This and Front Page: The two Laotian gold shop robbers after their arrest. Composite photo – Naewna
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