Bangkok Post - Two arrested in B3.4m robbery at mall car park

Two arrested in B3.4m robbery at mall car park

Five suspects wanted for bogus crypto purchase scheme still at large

Police have arrested two of seven suspects in connection with a 3.4-million-baht robbery at a Bangkok shopping mall, where cash was taken from the victims during a bogus cryptocurrency exchange meeting.

A man and a woman, identified only as Sherpat, 25, and Nana, 31, were arrested at a hotel in Lat Lum Kaeo district of Pathum Thani at 1am on Tuesday, said Pol Lt Gen Sayam Boonsom, commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bureau.

They were suspected of arranging to exchange cryptocurrency with the three victims.

Police found 1.9 million baht in cash in the suspects’ room and believed the remaining cash was with the five other suspects at large.

Pol Lt Gen Sayam said investigators found the gang had sold cryptocurrency to the victims twice before, with purchases amounting to 200,000 and 300,000 baht respectively. The previous exchanges had taken place without a problem, so the victims decided to raise the third purchase to 3.4 million baht on Monday evening.

Both sides met at a coffee shop in the Central Ladprao shopping mall in Chatuchak district of Bangkok. Then the victims were brought to a car in the mall parking building. They were robbed by other culprits who threatened them in the car with knives. A victim told police some robbers claimed to also have guns. The robbery occurred at 7.44pm on Monday.

The gang then fled in a silver Honda Civic with a licence plate registered in Nakhon Sawan.

Police said the suspects in the case had long criminal records including theft, robbery, drug abuse and extortion. They had known one another through drug connections and shared rented rooms.

The five suspects at large are men aged 26-43 years old. The oldest one is believed to be the gang leader, identified as Worawat aka Suea Poon.

Pol Lt Gen Sayam advised people to buy cryptocurrency only through approved exchanges. He said the gang reached victims through Facebook.

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