CHONBURI — Police Region 8 has successfully apprehended an Australian suspect wanted for robbing fellow Australians in Phuket and Samui. When officers raided the luxury hideout in Chonburi, they discovered two pet lions and numerous weapons.
Police Lieutenant General Surapong Thanomjit, Commander of Police Region 8, led a team of officers from Police Region 8 along with Chonburi Provincial Police and Nong Prue Police Station to arrest Billy, an Australian national, under warrants issued by the Phuket Provincial Court and Samui Provincial Court on robbery charges.
The suspect was captured at a luxury villa near Pattaya in Moo 9, Pong Sub-district, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province on May 9.
During the raid, authorities found two large lions being kept on the property, reportedly registered under the name of the suspect’s Thai girlfriend. Billy stated that he purchased the lions – one aged 1 year for 1 million baht and another aged 5 months for 700,000 baht – and kept them inside the residence.
Police also discovered several BB guns in the villa. The property spans approximately 2 rai of land with an estimated value of 30 million baht. Authorities will investigate the source of funds used to purchase the property.
The case began when an Australian victim reported to Region 8 investigators that fellow Australians had robbed him twice, stealing cash and cryptocurrency worth over 21 million baht. The victim was also being followed and threatened. The leader of the gang reportedly has ties to influential groups in Australia, with family members involved in drug trafficking. Fearing for his safety, the victim sought help from the Region 8 Police Commander.
After gathering evidence, investigators believe the victim was indeed robbed twice. In the first incident, four perpetrators led by Billy and his associates broke into a villa in the Chalong Police jurisdiction in Phuket.
They used firearms to threaten the victim, forcing him to transfer 2 million baht to Billy’s account and later taking an additional 10.5 million baht ($318,860) in cash. They threatened the victim not to report the crime.
The victim fled to another location but was tracked down. In late January this year, Billy sent a group of Thai associates to follow the victim while he was staying in Koh Samui. They forced him to transfer 2.8 bitcoins to Billy, bringing the total losses from both incidents to approximately 21 million baht ($637,715).
Following these events, Police Major General Lertchai Champatong, Commander of the Investigation Division of Police Region 8, ordered urgent assistance and escorted the victim to file reports at Chalong Police Station in Phuket and Samui Police Station in Surat Thani.
The investigating officers at both locations expedited the issuance of arrest warrants, leading to the successful capture of the suspect. Initially, the suspect was sent to Phuket for questioning.
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