Pattaya —
A massive motorbike theft gang was dismantled on Sunday, May 5th, by Nongprue police. Four suspects were arrested.
The arrests were made by officers from the Nongprue Police Station following an extensive investigation.
A video version of the arrests and story can be found HERE on our YouTube channel.
The investigation began with the arrest of Mr. Phumrin Kesmala, also known as “Mon,” 22, on drug-related charges. During his interrogation, police discovered that Mr. Phumrin had a history of involvement in motorcycle theft. Officers then expanded their investigation and found that Mr. Phumrin had been using a messaging app to share pictures of stolen motorcycles with others. These pictures matched with motorbikes reported missing in the Chonburi and Pattaya areas.
Acting on this information, police identified Mr. Apirat Sosungnoen, also known as “Ice,” 22, as a middleman who purchased stolen motorcycles from Mr. Phumrin and resold them to migrant workers. When approached by police, Mr. Apirat attempted to flee in a Mitsubishi Triton pickup truck, ramming into police vehicles in the process. However, he was eventually captured.
Nongprue police then traced the stolen motorcycles sold by Mr. Apirat to a condominium in Samut Prakan province. They recovered nine motorcycles from this premises. The officers also uncovered numerous motorbike parts and four more stolen motorbikes at Mr. Apirat’s residence.
Additionally, the authorities had the suspect, Mr. Apirat, contact his friend to buy stolen motorcycles. They then arranged a meeting to purchase the vehicles with a third suspect, identified as Mr. Phanudet Srisawat, 29. Upon arrival at the designated location, police arrested Mr. Phanudet.
Police also arrested a Burmese national, Mr. Rin Rin, 39, for buying a stolen motorbike.
In total, over 14 stolen motorbikes, along with numerous parts, were reclaimed. One owner of the motorbike, an 18-year-old man (name withheld upon request), showed up at the police press conference to retrieve his bike. The suspects apologized to this victim.
All four suspects are currently in police custody and will face legal proceedings.
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