Two suspects wanted in connection with the armed robbery of a gold shop at a major shopping mall in Chiang Khong district of Chiang Rai province earlier this month have been arrested in Laos.
Local media reported that police in Laos carried out an operation in Bokeo province on Wednesday. The suspects were reportedly armed, prompting police to coordinate with military personnel to surround and secure the area before making the arrests.
The suspects were identified as Somchai Thipphavan, 32, an ethnic Hmong resident of Khon Kaew village in Huay Xai district of Bokeo; and Ai Vilaisuk, 31, a boat operator from Huay Xai Nuea village in Huay Xai.
The arrests followed an investigation into a robbery on Aug 4, when two armed men raided a branch of Yaowarat Krungthep gold shop inside the Lotus’s shopping centre in Chiang Khong.
The robbers escaped with 184 baht-weight of gold ornaments, worth about 13 million baht, before crossing the Mekong River into Bokeo.
During the arrests on Wednesday, the suspects were found carrying handguns. Lao officers have yet to establish whether the weapons were those used in the robbery. The whereabouts of the stolen gold jewellery also remained unknown.
Lao authorities have initially charged Mr Somchai with robbery, while Mr Ai is alleged to have been involved as an accomplice.
Following the arrests, Lao authorities contacted officers from the Chiang Khong police station and Chiang Rai provincial police, who had previously travelled to Laos to coordinate with their counterparts.
Earlier, Chiang Khong police had offered a cash reward of 100,000 baht for clues leading to the arrest of the gold shop robbers.
