By Praj Kiatpongsan
Six Filipino jewelry thieves that went on a robbing spree throughout Bangkok were arrested this week before they could flee Thailand.
Police announced on Thursday March 8 at the Patumwan Police Station that they had captured a group of six professional foreign thieves: Two males and four females aged 29 to 59. The Filipinos were charged on March 7 with allegedly stealing a 20-carat diamond necklace worth more than THB2 million from high-end jewelry store Gems Pavilion on the first floor of Siam Paragon in the heart of Bangkok, the Daily News reported.
The arrest was carried out after a Paragon security guard noticed suspicious behavior from the group and told the shop’s owner. Police followed the suspects to their temporary residence at Center Point Hotel on Wireless Road and found stolen jewelry worth up to THB6.39 million, including 150 one-salung gold rings and and several of gold, diamond and emerald necklaces.
The group entered Thailand on March 3 and was planning on flying back to the Philippines on March 8. They told police that they had planned to bring the jewels back to their hometown, not to sell it in Bangkok’s black market.
The group previously targeted many jewelry stores in Yaowarat, Bangkok’s Chinatown, where they were seen on security videos acting like they were shopping. Each member of the group was tasked with different roles. While one was distracting the shop clerk, another would reach over the display counter and snatch bags of jewelry, drop them into a black suitcase, and walk out of the store immediately.
Police will return all of the jewelry to the shops soon. However, it’s been reported that another Filipino suspect, Cruz Gervacio, 33, still remains at large. Police have contacted the Immigration Bureau to detain him if he tries to go to the airport.
The clip below shows the press conference where the Bangkok Metropolitan Police presented the suspects.
