Sri Racha, Chonburi Province – In a brazen daylight heist, thieves have looted an abandoned motorcycle repair shop turned storage warehouse in the heart of Sri Racha municipality, making off with motorcycle parts, tools, office equipment, and more valued at over 200,000 baht.
The incident came to light on February 11th, 2026, when Mr. Sathian Sathianboon Thawi, 55, the representative of the former management of Surat Yan Yon – a prominent motorcycle sales and repair shop in central Sri Racha – visited the premises around 9:00 a.m. to inspect the stored items.
Upon opening the door, he discovered a chaotic scene: items scattered across the floor, boxes of motorcycle parts emptied and discarded, and the entire stock of spare parts missing from both the ground floor and the second-floor storage area. The thieves had taken new motorcycle parts, mechanic tools, a motorcycle lift stand, office equipment, and even air conditioning units.
The shop, which ceased operations more than four years ago, had been repurposed solely as a warehouse for motorcycle spare parts and retained some office furnishings. No electricity or CCTV cameras were active at the site, leaving it vulnerable.
Mr. Sathian filed a police complaint at Sri Racha Police Station around 5:00 p.m. that same day with Pol. Lt. Col. Chatphon Phaen Phon, the investigating officer. He estimated the total loss at more than 200,000 baht.
Neighbors revealed that this was not the first incident. The burglars had struck multiple times. In earlier thefts, they used motorcycles and “saleng” (small carts) to remove goods. On February 3rd, 2026, witnesses saw a group arrive in a pickup truck and saleng, parking on Sukhumvit Road in front of the shop. They openly loaded items into the vehicles in broad daylight before fleeing.
The thieves reportedly cut the front padlock at night, gathered the stolen goods inside, and returned in the morning with vehicles to transport everything away. Because the shop had been closed for years with no visible activity, locals assumed the people were authorized by the owner to retrieve items and paid little attention, allowing the criminals to operate fearlessly in broad daylight without concern of being caught by the owner.
Police believe the suspects had detailed knowledge of the shop’s inactive status, lack of power, and absence of security measures. Authorities are now reviewing CCTV footage from the surrounding area during the relevant dates and times to identify and apprehend the group.
Mr. Sathian urged police to act swiftly, stressing the audacity of the crimes committed openly during the day, showing no fear of detection by the property owner.
Sri Racha Police are continuing their investigation and pursuing leads to bring the suspects to justice.
