Officers were called to the store at 10:35am, reported Phuket Provincial Police.
The store’s CCTV security cameras showed a man aged 20-25 years old wearing a black hooded jacket and black cap, black trousers parking in front of the shop on a red-white Honda Wave 110 motorbike fitted with a red (“dealership”) licence plate.
The man entered the store and pulled out a gun and threatened the staff to hand over money from the cash drawer.
The staff handed over B2,000 in cash. The robber checked the money and handed back B800.
Staff told police that the robber asked them,”Do you know that I am playing?”
The robber then left the shop and sped off on his motorbike towards the Tha Kraeng Intersection, where Chaofa Rd meets Sakdidet Rd.
By about 1:50pm, officers who definitely were not playing arrested the suspect, identified only as “Mr Idris”, or “Asif”, 21, at Soi Ton Ao Yon in Moo 8, Wichit.
Seized by police making the arrest was a “Thai Pradit” homemade handgun made to fire .22-calibre bullets used in the robbery and his Phuket-registered motorbike.
Idri was taken to Phuket City Police Station and charged with armed robbery, possession of an illegal firearm and carrying a firearm in a public area without reasonable cause, police confirmed in their report.
Additional reporting by Eakkapop Thongtub