A thief, who may have been posing as a foreigner, remains at large after stealing more than 600,000 baht from a currency exchange shop inside a shopping mall in Phuket on Sunday, July 19.
The owner of the exchange business in Phuket reported the theft to Wichit Police Station after an employee discovered the incident at about 9.30am on July 20. Staff arrived at the shop and found the safe open, with cash in several currencies missing.
CCTV footage showed the theft occurred between 9.13pm and 9.15pm on July 19, shortly before both the shop and the shopping centre closed. Staff initially believed the suspect was a foreign man.
The CCTV footage showed a person wearing a black jacket with white stripes, black shorts, a dark blue cap, glasses and a moustache. The suspect also appeared to be wearing rubber gloves.
Investigators said the suspect moved directly to the safe without hesitation, suggesting prior knowledge of the shop’s layout.
Police said the stolen money totalled 627,083 baht, including 175,050 baht, 50 euros, 50,000 Russian rubles, US$11,700 and 1,000 Swiss francs.
Following further investigation, officers said they now believe the suspect may be a Thai national who disguised himself as a foreigner by wearing a brown fake moustache.
Police added that the thief knew the safe’s access code, prompting investigators to examine whether the suspect had previously worked at the business or had access to someone familiar with the password.
The owner, shareholders and employees have all been questioned as police continue investigating who had knowledge of the safe code. Police have not released any further updates on the investigation.
The case follows another currency exchange theft reported in Bangkok last year, when an Indian national was arrested after stealing 100,000 baht from a money exchange shop in Bang Rak district.
Police later recovered 50,000 baht from the suspect, who denied the allegation despite investigators saying they had sufficient evidence to file charges.
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