A suspect disguised to look like a foreigner broke into a safe and stole money from a foreign currency exchange shop inside a popular Phuket mall, taking more than 600,000 baht in just 3 minutes.
On the evening of 20 July 2016, continuing into the morning of 21 July, reports emerged that a male suspect resembling a foreigner broke into a safe inside a foreign currency exchange shop located within a well-known department store in Wichit Subdistrict, Mueang Phuket District, stealing 600,000 baht. A video of the incident was later shared widely on social media.
The footage shows a man wearing a dark blue cap, black jacket with white stripes on the sleeves, black shorts, black-framed glasses, and rubber gloves, sporting a mustache and beard. He enters the currency exchange booth, quickly inputs the safe's code, then takes foreign currency bills before leaving the shop. The entire act took only a short time.
Later, reporters contacted Pol. Col. Somsak Thongkliang, Chief of Wichit Police Station, to verify the footage. He confirmed the incident occurred late at night on 19 July 2016 near the mall's closing time. The 67-year-old victim filed a police report on 20 July 2016 to press charges. Authorities are currently reviewing CCTV footage inside and outside the mall to apprehend the suspect and proceed with legal action.
Preliminary investigation suggests the suspect may not be a foreigner but rather someone disguised as one. Police have ordered the Deputy Chief of Investigation to lead the team in reviewing all details and have summoned the exchange shop's partners for further questioning about the safe's code, known only to a few. Authorities expect to capture the suspect soon.
According to investigation leads, on 20 July 2016 at 09:30, employees of the exchange shop on the third floor of the mall in Wichit Subdistrict opened the shop as usual and discovered the safe had been broken into and cash was missing. CCTV footage shows that between 21:13 and 21:15 on 20 July 2016, an unidentified foreign-looking man entered the shop, broke into the safe, and stole a total of 627,083 baht in cash. The stolen funds included: 1. 175,050 baht; 2. 50 euros, equivalent to 1,906 baht; 3. 50,000 Russian rubles, equivalent to 19,250 baht; 4. 11,700 US dollars, equivalent to 389,727 baht; 5. 1,000 Swiss francs, equivalent to 41,150 baht.
Further updates will be provided as the investigation progresses.