Officers from the Phuket City Police were called to the Family Mart convenience store on Tilok Uthit 2 Rd in Phuket Town, near the fresh market on Ong Sim Pai Rd, after the man robbed the store at about 5:40am.
At the store the officers found the two staff on duty – Ameenou Saoute, 24, from Rueso District in Narathiwat and Hatyah Waehama, 28, from Yarang District in Pattani – still visibly affected by the robbery.
Ms Hatyah told police that she and Ms Ameenou were working in the shop as usual when a man aged 25-30 years pulled up in front of the shop on a motorbike and walked in like any other customer.
The man, about 165cm tall, wearing a blue sports shirt, black sports shorts, a baseball cap and sandals – walked to kitchen utensils section and grabbed a kitchen knife.
He then walked up to the counter and threatened the two staffers to hand over the money.
Frightened, the women handed over an estimated B1,500 that was in the cash register.
The man left the store, got on his motorbike and rode off.
Officers checked CCTV and believe the robber was the same man who robbed a Family Mart store in Wichit at 4:50am to be the same person. In that robbery, he made off with about B1,000, reported Phuket City Police Chief Col Sompong Thiparpakul.
Police now believe they had identified the robber.
The owner of a shop in the Khao Lak area, in Phang Nga province, north of Phuket, has confirmed from CCTV images of the robbery that the suspect bought a shirt from his shop for B400 yesterday (Nov 9), Col Sompong explained.
“It should be the same man who robbed the convenience stores. We are looking to have him in custody soon,” he said.
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