PHETCHABUN: A 40-year-old man was arrested in a paddy field in Phetchabun's Lom Klao district on Tuesday with gold necklaces a robber stole from a shop at a Big C store in nearby Lom Sak district on Monday.
Investigators from Phetchabun provincial police, Lom Sak police and the Crime Suppression Division tracked the alleged robber to his hideout in tambon Ban Noen.
Nopparut Suksathian of Phetchabun was taken into custody. Police seized 17 gold necklaces and one home-made gun, all found in his possession.
An armed man robbed a gold shop at a Big C mall in Lom Sak district on Monday. The lone robber, wearing a face mask, threatened the three gold shop employees with a gun.
He then broke plastic partitions and climbed across the glass counter, and snatched a tray of jewellery from a showcase. He ran off 23 baht weight of gold worth about 670,000 baht.
During questioning, Mr Nopparut allegedly confessed to the robbery and told police he was in dire need of money to pay off debts he had run up with illegal lenders.
The suspect was handed over to Lom Sak police station for legal action. The investigation was continuing to find the six missing stolen gold necklaces.
