The three in custody have been identified as 41-year-old Mexican man Ruben Dario Zapata Gonzalez, Malaysian woman Rosina Binti Abu Bakar, 42, and Turkish man Riza Balkan, 49.
The group are suspected of smashing a car window near Big C department store in Phuket Town and making off with the jewellery before being apprehended in Trang Province while allegedly attempting to flee to Malaysia.
Gonzalez and Bakar were transferred to Phuket today (May 15), while Balkan remains in the custody of Trang police, as some ya-ice and marijuana were also found in his possession.
The fourth suspect, believed to be responsible for planning the robbery, has been named as 57-year-old Mexican woman Mejia Zuluaga Maria Asseneth, who reportedly fled on foot after police arrested the others.
The owner of the stolen jewellery, Thongsak Jintanakarnrak, 46, reported 600 items missing. However, only 430 items were recovered from the gang. Police are now looking for the rest.
During a press conference today (May 15), police revealed that the suspects had met on the internet and agreed to collaborate on several jewellery heists.
A notebook found in the suspects’ possession shows they listed several targets at jewellery fairs around Asia and Australia, including Sydney, Phuket and Bangalore.
Police suspect they might have already been involved in stealing jewellery at a fair in Bangna District, Bangkok.
Police allege that Gonzalez was the one who broke the window of Mr Thongsak’s car, while the rest of the suspects helped load the two suitcases of jewellery into their rented car before making their getaway.
CCTV camera footage from Central Festival and Bann Suan Place condominiums, where Mr Thongsak was staying, showed the gang had been following Mr Thongsak for several days before the robbery.
After the suspects allegedly snatched the jewellery, they are believed to have driven to Patong to dump the car.
They then reportedly hired a taxi from Patong to drive them to Songkla Province.
But Phuket officers had already sounded the alarm to police across all southern provinces, who set up checkpoints on the major roads.
When the suspects’ taxi approached a checkpoint in Trang Province, the suspects allegedly forced their driver to carry on through it.
Trang police eventually managed to force the car to stop, arresting three of the four suspects while Asseneth managed to flee from the scene.
Police are now hunting for Asseneth.