At 5.45pm yesterday (March 5) Pol Lt Gen Suchart Thirasawat, Assistant to the National Police Commander, along with Phuket immigration police, Phuket Tourist Police and Phuket Police led a raid of a luxury villa development in Phuket's Pa Khlok.
Police subsequently apprehended a Mr Su Su, 29, of China, whose passport indicated that he had last arrived in Thailand on February 12 via U-tapao airport in Chonburi. Mr Su had a visa which was due to expire on April 14, and was reported to had previously checked into a Rasamee Apartment on Krungthep Krita Rd in Bangkok's Saphan Soong district.
Police have yet to charge Mr Su Su, who has allegedly admitted that he sold SIM cards* to various Chinese nationals, but claimed to have no knowledge or links with Friday's failed heist in Bangkok.
According to media reports from Bangkok, the alleged leader of the failed heist on Friday, named as Zheng Yang, 30, and who was reportedly arrested in Nakhon Sawan yesterday, confessed that he had aquired SIM cards* used in Friday's failed heist from Mr Soo, who had reportedly conducted business in Phuket and Chiang Mai.
It is understood that one member of the heist gang has died from gunshot wounds, while the other three are in custody.
Media reports say the men had used BB guns and a knife in an attempt to rob a gun store in the capital's China Town district, but when they were unable to break open the safety cabinet where the guns were stored, the men finally attempted to flee the shop empty-handed, but ended up caught up in a shootout with police.
* Correction: Not walkie-talkies as originally reported.