Teacher no role model
Nipha Darasaen points to the carpark where the robbery took place.
Nipha Darasaen, 56, was attacked in the garage of her Phutthaisong district home by a thief wearing a face covering.
Ms Nipha, who runs a wholesale shop at a market about 500m away, was hopping on a motorbike early on Sept 23 as she prepared to open her store for the day.
CCTV images recovered from the scene show the thief arriving earlier on foot and turning around the motorcycle so its front was facing towards the road.
This was possibly because she intended to use the vehicle to help her flee the scene.
In the event, Ms Nipha, wife of the deputy permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives Nawanit Phonken, according to media reports, put up such a spirited fight that the thief was forced to abandon the scene on foot.
The thief also put up a large umbrella, presumably to help shield her from the gaze of the CCTV cameras as she lay in hiding by a side wall, waiting for Ms Nipha to appear.
Earlier, the thief, who appears to have known the property well, scaled a wall behind the outdoor parking area to gain access to the spot.
When Ms Nipha appeared shortly after 3am, the thief sprang at her, lunging for her bag, which was slung across her body. In her other hand, the thief carried a fruit knife, Ms Nipha said.
Ms Nipha let off piercing screams as she yelled for help. “The thief tried to close my mouth, but I managed to push her to the ground. However, she got back on her feet again and resumed trying to wrest the bag from me,” Ms Nipha told reporters.
“She stabbed my hand so I decided to let the bag go before things got any worse.”
The CCTV images show the thief fleeing on foot, carrying the victim’s bag which contained 15,000 baht in cash. Ms Nipha, who returned to her house to summon help, was taken to hospital, where her hand injuries needed five stitches.
She said she had noticed the motorcycle was facing the wrong direction, but assumed her son had turned it around for her.
District and regional police discussed the daring robbery. Phutthaisong station chief, Pol Maj Gen Thatchapol Songsaeng, said police suspected the thief was a local, as she was able to flee the scene on foot, and officers found no sign of her in other images taken by security cameras nearby.
An Amarin TV reporter was present at the station that night when police called in a local teacher, unnamed in news reports, to help with their inquiries.
The woman, who objected to being filmed, said she turned up merely to protest her innocence. However, news reports said police had identified her as a suspect.
The woman, aged about 49, a senior teacher at a state school in the district, has a gambling problem, and had been caught several times previously for theft, the reports said.
News reports said police asked her to give a blood sample so they could compare it with forensic evidence. “She was busted for theft previously in Na Pho district but she got away with it because she had her husband claim that he was the sole guilty party,” police said.
“Since moving to Phutthaisong district she had been caught for theft several times, but police lacked sufficient evidence and had to let her go,” they added. Officers said they were hoping for better luck this time.
The village head, Krittapol Prakankij, said he was shocked by the robbery. “We have so many cameras in this district, but the thief still staged the robbery,” he said.
The victim’s nephew, Nanthawut Kantho, 37, said the thief was unlikely to be a professional, as she was carrying a mere fruit knife as a weapon. The case continues.
Meatballs can’t compete
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| Sitthipop ‘Arm’ Thamwiset, nabbed with a large amount of ya ba. |
Police in Buri Ram nabbed a meatball delivery guy who says he entered the drug trade recently because it was easier work and paid better.
Muang police arrested Sitthipop, or “Arm” Thamwiset, 32, at home after hearing that a local man was selling ya ba to small-time addicts and dealers.
A search of his rented place turned up 184,177 tablets bound in parcels. Mr Sitthipop admitted they were his, saying he picked them up in Ubon Ratchathani.
Before entering the drugs trade, news reports said, Mr Sitthipop de-
livered meatballs for a well-known brand, travelling from Bangkok to Ubon Ratchathani.
However, it was a long journey and on top of that he had to haul the bags of meal balls to customers.
“A friend recommended I get into the ya ba trade instead. I knew the route well, so thought, Why not? I used my savings to buy some pills, and started selling them to people my mate knew,” he added. “It was easy income, so I left my old job to become a drug dealer.”
News reports did not say how long he had been selling drugs before he was caught, or how much money he was making. Police charged him with possession with intent to supply.
Lucky drug find
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| The huge drug haul found in a car. |
Police in Nong Khai made a fortuitous drug discovery when they turned out to the scene of an argument only to find an abandoned car containing half a tonne of methamphetamine.
Muang police on Sept 24 were called to a motel (“resort” in Thai) in Khai Bok Wan sub-district where locals heard guests arguing.
They did not find those involved, but did discover an abandoned Honda Accord, which was covered in dents as if it had been in many rough scrapes.
“It seemed a bit suspect, so we took a look and found a huge haul of drugs,” said one officer. Local police, Interior Ministry staff, the regional police chief, and provincial governor announced the bust.
Officers found 489 bags of the drug ice, labelled as tea, hidden in sacks. The haul weighed 489kg in total, and was worth about 200 million baht.
Inquiries led to the arrest of three suspects, with police seizing assets worth 3 million baht thought to be linked to their crimes. They were looking for another three suspects.
The suspects are thought to have fled the scene after the row broke out rather than risk being caught, but inquiries led to their arrest anyway. They were charged with possession with intent to supply.
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