CHIANG MAI – When some people enjoy splashing water during the Songkran festival, they may be unaware of stolen items.
On April 13, Chiang Mai Tourist Police officers and Chiang Mai City Police Station caught a foreign group that stole items from individuals participating in the Songkran water festival around the Chiang Mai moat.
According to the investigation, this gang of thieves consists of four South Korean men: 1. Chu Doo Man, 2. Shin Boo Kook, 3. Hong Seoung Bok, and 4. Lee Chul Hyun. The second and fourth people walked around the victim to draw attention, then guided the first person to use nail clippers to cut off the victim’s necklace.
On April 12, the four attempted to commit a crime but were unsuccessful, according to a video clip caught by a good citizen. They later snatched the victim’s gold necklace and fled.
Mr. Chu was caught near the Tha Phae Gate area of Chang Moi Subdistrict, Mueang Chiang Mai District, while Mr. Shin was arrested at the international passenger terminal as he was about to depart from Chiang Mai International Airport.
The police found a gold necklace weighing one baht and a Buddha framed in gold worth 50,000 baht in the hotel room where they slept. The current price of gold is substantially higher, exceeding 40,000 baht per baht.
Both were charged with stealing property. According to Criminal Code Section 336, anyone who commits theft by snatching in the presence of another is guilty of snatching and faces up to five years in jail and a fine of ten thousand Baht. Officials are trying to track down and prosecute the third and fourth gang members.
