PHUKET CRIME

Wednesday, January 24, 2001
Thief steals 500,000 baht while victims sleep

PHUKET TOWN: A well-known Ranong fishing raft owner and his wife lost close to 500,000 baht in the early hours of Tuesday morning when a thief stole into the Phuket Town hotel room where they slept.
Pol Lt Khaneung Pitakkullatorn of Phuket Town Police Station said that the victims, 39-year-old Apirak Sornsom and his wife, were staying at the Phuket Island Pavilion Hotel on Mae Luan Rd.
The Sornsoms, who had checked into the hotel on Saturday, went out to eat on Monday evening, returning to the room after midnight.
Before going to bed, they took off their valuables, including a Rolex watch valued at 100,000 baht; his gold neck chain (29,000 baht) with a gold-plated Buddha image; his bracelet (100,000 baht); her bracelet (50,000 baht); her diamond earrings (50,000 baht); three rings (60,000 baht); her necklace (50,000 baht) and about 10,000 baht in cash. These they laid on the bedside table.
K. Apirak told Lt Khaneung that when he woke up in the morning all the valuables on the table were gone, along with the keys to the couple's Mercedes car. The thief missed his wife’s purse, which contained about 60,000 baht.
Luckily for K. Apirak the thief dropped the car key outside the room, so the Mercedes was not stolen.
Investigators could find no signs of a forced entry into the room. Rungthip Thipjantha, the hotel’s front office manager, told the Gazette that K. Apirak is a regular guest. She also said that she gave the police the name of a person she believes committed the robbery.
Lt Khaneung said that he is following up this lead and expects to make an arrest very soon.

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