MONEY-VAN HEIST

MONEY-VAN HEIST
Last suspects nabbed
Driver, guard confess to their involvement; Bt16.8m found

Published on December 16, 2007


The last two suspects in Friday morning's armoured-van heist were taken into custody yesterday afternoon, bringing the total arrests to seven. So far Bt16.8 million of the stolen money has been retrieved, leaving Bt3.6 million still missing.

Private Anont Puang-ampai, 22, surrendered in Phetchaburi while Wanlop Soisong, 38, operating team chief of Siam Administrative Management Co, or Samco, the currency-delivery company, was arrested in Pattaya.

The two suspects joined Infantry Region 11 soldier Private Uthit Jansamphao, 22, former Samco employee Bundit Theungnok, 33, van-driver Kranchai Ood-amart, 28, van security officer Thavorn Mongkolnam, 29, and Samco employee Suriya Painarin, 22.

Police expect to submit their case report to public prosecutors in one month.

Police in the morning took Uthit to the Criminal Court to seek approval for the first 12-day detention period pending police investigation and interview of 10 more witnesses. Police recommended against temporary release on grounds that this was a serious crime, the stolen money had not been fully recovered, and the suspect might flee or tamper with evidence. Uthit was taken to Bangkok Remand Prison, as no relatives applied for bail.

Later in the afternoon, police took Samco employees Bundit and Suriya to Phaholyothin Police Station for interrogation.

Bundit said he had joined in because Bt5,500 monthly salary was too little. His take-home pay after social welfare and other deductions was only Bt3,000. He was deep in debt, and his father was suffering from liver cancer, so he wanted the money and thought this would be easy because police had failed to arrest anyone for previous Samco money-truck robberies.

Suriya said his role had been to collect the money bags from a drop-off point. He also complained that he could not pay off debts and support his ageing parents upcountry on his meagre earnings.

As the robbers were now estimated to have made off with over Bt20 million cash, deputy National Police chief General Wongkot Maneerin on Friday night concluded that Bt3.6 million still needed to be found.

Police had already accounted for Bt16.8 million after two money bags were recovered hours after the heist from Soi Sena in Lat Phrao district, four were salvaged near an abandoned house in Pathum Thani's Klong 5 Ua Arthorn Housing Estate and Bt1.4 million seized from Suriya's apartment in Sukhumvit Soi 77 on Friday evening.

The van was robbed at about 2am at a filling station near Safari World. Kannayao police were alerted to the theft when the security van was found parked near the Panya Ram Inthra Housing Estate.

The driver, Kranchai, and security official Thavorn, both handcuffed by the robbers, underwent questioning as police suspected foul play. After over 10 hours of grilling, the two reportedly confessed their collaboration with the robbers.

Currency-transport vehicles belonging to the firm have been ambushed twice before this year, and police have not been able to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The first time was on June 12 when two gunmen snatched Bt3.5 million in cash from a Samco vehicle in front of the Bank of Ayudhya's Rama IX branch in Suan Luang district.

The second was on November 29 when a gang stole Bt22.8 million in cash from a Samco truck in front of the Siam Commercial Bank's King Mongkut Institute of Technology Lat Krabang branch. A policeman was wounded in a gunfight with the crooks.