On October 10th, 2024, Pattaya local media reported that more than 20 Banglamung officers apprehended a group of four suspects involved in the theft of large machinery from a recycling factory in the Banglamung area.
After receiving a tip-off from the factory owner, who reported that 4-5 individuals were stealing and damaging property, the police moved in. The suspects were caught red-handed, attempting to move steel pipes weighing nearly 20 kilograms.
The suspects were identified only as Mr. Wacharakorn, 35, Mr. Krailas, 33, Mr. Somsak, 54, and Mr. Chaichana, 22. Police seized cutting tools, a Toyota pickup truck, and other equipment used for the theft.
One of the suspects reportedly confessed they had been hired by an unidentified individual, who communicated solely by phone, to collect scrap metal from the site and sell it in Rayong. The workers claimed they never met their employer in person and didn’t know his real name.
An inspection of the factory revealed significant damage, including dismantled vehicle parts, such as axles, radiators, and fuel tanks. The JCB machinery at the factory had been heavily damaged, and a 250 kV transformer was stolen.
The factory walls, standing nearly five meters tall, were broken through in several places to facilitate the theft. The total estimated damage was close to 10 million baht, according to the police.
The following day, October 11th, during a police and media visit to the site, a suspicious black pickup truck was spotted entering a nearby cassava field. Inside were men claiming to have been hired to cut large machinery parts, similar to the previous thefts.
The first driver claimed he was only following orders but became unreachable by his employer once they arrived at the site. This individual later claimed that his employer was a police officer, with authorities later confirming that a lieutenant was under investigation.
Police are expanding the inquiry to determine if the same group has been responsible for multiple thefts at abandoned factories in the area.
Thai Police Arrest Gang Involved in Large-Scale Machinery Theft in Banglamung - The Pattaya News