On Sunday, May 5th, a major motorcycle theft ring was broken up by the Nongprue police, resulting in the arrest of four suspects.
The breakthrough came through an extensive investigation conducted by the officers from Nongprue Police Station. The inquiry started with the arrest of a 22-year-old man named Phumrin Kesmala, also known as “Mon,” on drug-related charges. Further investigation into Phumrin’s background revealed his past involvement in motorcycle theft. This led the police to unearth more evidence, which included photos of stolen motorcycles on a messaging app used by Phumrin. These images corresponded to bikes reported missing in Chonburi and Pattaya areas.
From this, another 22-year-old, Apirat Sosungnoen, nicknamed “Ice,” was identified as a middleman who was buying stolen motorbikes from Phumrin and selling them to migrant workers. When police approached him, Apirat tried to escape in a Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck, hitting several police cars. However, he was eventually apprehended.
The police then tracked the stolen bikes sold by Apirat to a condo in Samut Prakan province, where nine bikes were found. Additional motorbike parts and four more stolen motorcycles were discovered at Apirat’s residence.
The law officials also set up a sting operation using Apirat to reach out to a friend interested in buying stolen bikes. This led them to a third suspect, 29-year-old Phanudet Srisawat, who was arrested at the proposed meeting location.
The last arrest was a 39-year-old Burmese man, Rin Rin, involved in purchasing a stolen motorcycle.
Overall, the police were able to recover over 14 stolen motorcycles and several parts. An 18-year-old (name kept confidential) reclaimed his bike at the police press conference. The culprits then apologized to the victim.
The four suspects are now under police detention and will face legal actions.
Photo courtesy of The Pattaya News
— 2024-05-06
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