Rattanathibet Police arrested a 36-year-old man who was released from prison less than a day ago for stealing amulets from a well-known mall in the Ngamwongwan area. He confessed, citing a momentary lapse of judgment during the act.
At 13:00 on 3 May 2026, Pol. Col. Prut Jamruangsart, Chief of Rattanathibet Police Station in Nonthaburi Province, along with Pol. Lt. Col. Phusinthorn Yiphu, Deputy Chief of the Investigation Division, and Pol. Sgt. Pracha Hungwolvirokul, Investigation Officer, coordinated with Minburi Police to arrest Mr. Surasak Kungkangphlu, 36, in front of an apartment while he was walking. They then conducted a search of his second-floor apartment in the Ramkhamhaeng area of Bangkok.
The search uncovered evidence including 10 amulets and 3 Luang Por Kasan Takruds. The suspect had already removed the gold frames to sell separately. Authorities seized the items and proceeded with legal action.
Mr. Surasak confessed that he was released from Klong Prem Prison on 26 April 2026 after serving a six-month sentence for amulet theft, actually serving four months. After release, he returned to his home in Minburi and that evening went to a mall in Ngamwongwan to meet a friend, a collector, and ask to borrow money for rent. Not finding his friend, he noticed the closed shop, and on impulse decided to break into the amulet drawer and steal the items.
On 29 April 2026, he tried to sell the amulets at a shop in Hathairat but no one accepted them. Later, he found out the shop owner had posted on Facebook about the theft. He admitted to removing the amulet frames and Takruds to sell for 2,000 baht before police caught him.
Mr. Somsak, also known as เซียนตี๋ บ้านใหม่, owner of the Thai Chok Dee shop, came to view the seized items and confirmed that the 10 amulets and 3 Takruds were his property; other items were not his.
This arrest followed Mr. Somsak, 63, reporting to Rattanathibet Police on 27 April 2026 that on the evening of 26 April, after closing his shop, a thief broke in and stole approximately 20–30 amulets from the drawer, valued at about 300,000 to 400,000 baht.
Police reviewed CCTV footage showing a young man wearing a gray shirt, black cap, black pants, and carrying a bag, climbing over a display case into the shop, breaking into the drawer to steal amulets, then fleeing to board an orange public bus.
Upon investigation, police identified the suspect as Mr. Surasak Kungkangphlu and coordinated with Minburi police to arrest him with the stolen items. He was sent to the Rattanathibet Police Station in Nonthaburi to face charges of nighttime theft.