Phuket snatch robbers caught within minutes

The first victim was Chayaphat Wichayachokanan, whose bag – containing an iPhone, a makeup bag, her ID card and ATM card, a black purse and a wallet with B1,200 – was grabbed by two men on a motorbike on Rat-U-Thit 200 Pi Rd at about 2:45am.

Just 13 minutes later the duo grabbed a bag from Australian Lucy Heardman on Soi Namsia. It contained her Australian ID, an ATM card and cosmetics.

The third victim, who was robbed at 3:10 on Thaweewong Rd in front of Banana Walk, was Thanita Soponan, who was robbed of her brown purse containing her wallet, two ATM cards, her mobile phone and her ID card.

The first two victims reported the thefts very fast, and police were already looking for the robbers when Ms Thanita was robbed. She flagged down the police and said, “That’s them over there.”

Police gave chase and stopped one of the robbers almost immediately. The other was chased into Soi Patong Condo and arrested.

By 3:30am police both Theerayut Dalem, 22, and Sarawut Apichaikam, 19, both from Trang, in custody.

Police also recovered the items stolen from Ms Chayaphat, while the belongings of Ms Heardman and Ms Thanita were found thrown away on Thaweewong Rd near the Duangjit Hotel.

Both men confessed to police that they had no jobs and “needed money for partying”.

Earlier in the morning, at 2am, Namphon Choykarn, 19, from Nakorn Ratchassima, was stopped near Tiger Pub and found to be holding an iPhone that had been reported stolen earlier from a guest at a bar. She was held on alternative charges of theft at night or receiving stolen goods.

Phuket News