PATTAYA, Thailand – Pol. Maj. Col. Itthikorn Saikratok, investigator at Pattaya City Police Station, received a report of a burglary involving the theft of valuable assets from a safe at an apartment in Soi Ko Phai, South Pattaya, on December 18.
At the crime scene—a two-story apartment building with 10 rooms—officers met Ms. Sasikarn, 44, a Chonburi resident. She led police to her second-floor rented room, where she had hidden the safe that was burglarized. The safe had been broken into, and its contents—a total of 32 baht of gold jewelry (valued at approximately 1.4 million baht) and 300,000 baht in cash—were stolen.
An inspection revealed that the room had only one entry door, which showed no signs of forced entry, and its windows were tightly secured with iron bars. Only the safe had been tampered with. No other signs of rummaging were found.
Ms. Sasikarn explained that she rented the room for occasional use when her foreign partner visited. In his absence, she used the room solely to store valuables, believing it to be secure due to its location, safety features like barred windows, a safe, and surveillance cameras.
She became aware of the theft upon entering the room and noticing that the CCTV camera she had discreetly installed was missing. Sensing something amiss, she checked the safe, only to find it had been forced open and emptied.
Suspiciously, there were no signs of a break-in at the door, and only she and the property owner possessed keys to the room. Additionally, inquiries about the building’s CCTV system revealed that it was out of order, further complicating the case.
Neighbors reported seeing a tall man smoking inside the room at some point, assuming he was Ms. Sasikarn’s partner. They also mentioned hearing noises late at night from the vacant room next door, where they later found discarded cigarette butts and water bottles.
Another witness, “Ms. A” (alias), recounted being followed by a suspicious man, prompting her to flee in fear. “Ms. B” (alias) also reported someone attempting to turn her door handle but was spared due to locking it from the inside.
In response, Pol. Maj. Col. Itthikorn has instructed the investigative team to gather evidence from CCTV cameras at the apartment and nearby locations to track the suspect.
Authorities believe the suspect may have accessed the room by pretending to be its tenant, taking advantage of periods when the apartment was unoccupied. Investigators are working to identify and apprehend the individual for further questioning and resolution of the case.
The investigation remains ongoing.
