Chonburi —
Two fugitive wire thieves were arrested on Wednesday, September 13th, in Chonburi after causing financial damages worth over 10 million baht to the local government administration.
The apprehension of the duo took place half an hour past midnight on Wednesday as a result of a follow-up investigation into a wire theft incident in August, involving three suspects, two of whom had managed to escape arrest.
At that time, three men were caught stealing power lines and control panels from Motorway 7 connecting Pattaya to Map Ta Phut in Rayong province near Kilometer Marker 125, in the Nongprue sub-district, Banglamung district, Chonburi province.
However, two of the suspects managed to escape arrest, and only one of them, Mr. Xammao Boutakeo, a 38-year-old Laotian national, was apprehended. The gang’s criminal activities resulted in a staggering loss of over 10 million baht worth of repair expenses and equipment to the state. The thieves ‘ malicious act also destroyed security cameras along the expressway from Pattaya all the way to Map Ta Phut in Rayong, the arresting authorities said.
This led to a follow-up operation, which led to the arrest of two Thai men yesterday. The suspects were identified as Mr. Anulak Obchu, 35, and Mr. Traiphop Buahom, 31. They were arrested while walking down a road in Huay Yai.
Seized from their residence were 40 kilograms of copper, nearly 100 meters of unspooled electrical wires, and steel cutters.
Mr. Anulak and Mr. Traiphop confessed to the allegations, saying they had committed this act not less than 50 times and earned around 20,000 baht per instance.
When totaled, they earned nearly 1 million baht from these unlawful activities. They admitted to using the proceedings for daily leisure, online gambling, and purchasing illicit substances. Additionally, they alleged that there is still one accomplice at large. The police will track this person down.
The men were charged with conspiring to steal state property during nighttime, with more than two people participating, and using a vehicle for the convenience of committing a crime or transporting property.
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