Cops: 3 Russians Arrested for Heist of 50 Mil. Baht Painting

A police conference with the suspects in Phuket on Sep. 8, 2021.

BANGKOK — Three Russian nationals were arrested on Wednesday for robbing a painting worth 50 million baht from a Swiss tourist in Chonburi last year, police said.

They were wanted for the assault and robbery that took place in November 2020, police said. The three suspects were arrested on Phuket island by immigration police and charged with robbery. They were identified as Oleg Tarakhnov, 51; Maxim Sukharev, 33; and Alena Zakharova, 33.

Advertisement

The fourth suspect, a 19-year-old man named Alexi, already fled the country by the time the arrests took place.

The three arrested individuals denied the charge and insisted they bought the painting from the Swiss national legally, police said.

Advertisement

Investigators did not provide any details of the painting.