Police have offered a cash reward of 100,000 baht for clues leading to the arrest of two armed robbers, believed to be Lao nationals, who made off with about 13 million baht worth of gold ornaments from a shop in Chiang Rai and fled across the Mekong River into Laos.
The robbery took place at 4pm on Tuesday when two men armed with 9mm handguns stormed the gold shop inside the Chiang Khong branch of a Lotus’s shopping mall. After seizing gold jewellery weighing a total of 184 baht (2.8kg) and worth about 13 million baht, they escaped on a motorcycle.
Investigators from the Chiang Khong police station traced the suspects’ escape route and found that the pair abandoned their rented motorcycle on the bank of the Mekong River before crossing by boat into Laos.
After reviewing security video, interviewing witnesses and examining forensic evidence, the officers secured a court-approved arrest warrant for one suspect, identified as Khamthid Phonpasit, also known as Somxay Thipphavanh or Mon, a Lao national believed to have participated in the robbery.
The suspect faces a number of charges including colluding in armed robbery, illegal possession of firearms and intimidation.
Police urged any members of the public who have information about the robbers to contact the police station at 053-791-426 or call the 191 hotline around the clock.
Thai security authorities and Chiang Khong police have coordinated with their counterparts in Bokeo province of Laos, requesting assistance in tracking down Khamthid and his accomplice.
A preliminary investigations found clothing believed to belong to the suspects in Huay Xai, directly opposite Chiang Khong across the Mekong River. However, the pair had already fled the town.
Authorities also discovered that the motorcycle used during their escape in Laos had been abandoned at a relative’s home in Luang Namtha province.
Lao police are continuing efforts to locate and apprehend both suspects before handing them over to Thai authorities.
