23-10-2024 (HAT YAI) Thai police have apprehended a 45-year-old Indonesian national who admitted to an elaborate theft scheme involving one million baht stolen from a parked pickup truck in Hat Yai, southern Thailand.
Erwin Apri Anto was arrested at a hotel in Nakhon Si Thammarat following an extensive police investigation that involved reviewing multiple CCTV footage across the city. During questioning, Anto confessed to trailing the victim’s vehicle and seizing the opportunity when it was parked outside a local restaurant.
The incident unfolded when the victim, who had withdrawn the substantial sum from a Hat Yai bank, placed the money in an envelope on the pickup’s back seat before running errands in the city centre. The theft was discovered when the victim noticed his vehicle’s left door was ajar while driving across a bridge, only to find the envelope containing the money had vanished.
According to police reports, a Myanmar restaurant worker provided crucial evidence, reporting a suspicious Honda sedan that had briefly stopped near the victim’s vehicle before speeding away. This testimony led investigators to track the vehicle’s movements through the city’s CCTV network.
During his confession, Anto revealed that he had initially spotted his target inside the bank while exchanging currency. He witnessed a woman withdrawing one million baht and subsequently passing the envelope to the pickup truck driver. Following this observation, he tailed the vehicle until an opportunity presented itself.
Of the stolen funds, Anto claims only 400,000 baht remains, having spent the majority on what he described as “shopping sprees” following the theft. The incident highlights the importance of securing valuable items in vehicles and the effectiveness of Thailand’s CCTV infrastructure in solving crimes.
