Two desperate men armed with hammers and a beat-up motorbike were caught red-handed slicing aluminium in a Chon Buri backstreet—fuelled by poverty and the urge to feed their families.
In the early hours of yesterday, July 11, Bang Lamung Police Station officers swooped on a quiet lane near Soi Sukhumvit-Pattaya 79 after concerned residents reported suspicious activity.
Led by Police Colonel Sarawut Nuchanart, Chief of Bang Lamung Police Station, the team—comprising Police Lieutenant Colonel Kornphong Sukvisithi, Deputy Superintendent (Investigation), Police Major Wutthipong Kasa, Investigation Inspector, and Police Sub-Lieutenant Soman Bunkaew, Deputy Prevention Inspector—arrived to find two men busily hacking aluminium strips under the cover of darkness.
The suspects, identified as 45 year old Surachai Liangjampa and 43 year old Praphan Premsawas, were arrested on the spot. Police seized about 1 kilogramme of cut aluminium, along with an arsenal of tools including a sledgehammer, crowbar, claw hammer, and a modified sidecar motorcycle allegedly used to transport their haul.
During questioning, the pair quickly confessed, explaining they planned to sell the scrap metal for a meagre 200 to 300 baht.
One suspect admitted he had resorted to theft after losing his job and struggling to care for his bedridden mother and young child.
“I’m truly sorry,” he reportedly told officers. “I know it was wrong, but I had no choice.”
Both men pleaded for leniency and promised to rehabilitate if given a second chance.
Police were unmoved by their remorse, confirming the suspects would face charges of jointly committing theft at night with two or more persons and using a vehicle to facilitate the crime, transport stolen goods, or evade arrest, reported The Pattaya News.
A police spokesperson said the pair had likely targeted the area before and urged residents to remain vigilant against similar late-night thefts.
“The community’s tip-off allowed us to catch these men in the act,” the spokesperson said. “It shows how important it is for locals to report suspicious behaviour promptly.”
The suspects and evidence were transferred to investigators for further legal proceedings.
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