UPDATE: Police have confirmed that they arrested the thief, identified as Sermsin Thepphawong, 35, at 6:30pm on Wednesday - the same day as the break-in.
Sermsin, a resident of the Saphan Ruamjai community on the east side of Phuket Town - just 800 metres from the gold shop - reportedly confessed to the crime, saying that he needed the money to buy drugs, said police.
Maj Nucharee Longkeaw of the Phuket City Police said officers were notified of the break-in by the owner of shop, Thanet Hok Gold Shop on Sri Sena Rd, by the owner, Jirasak Tarnattanasombut, 58, at 9am.
On arriving at the shop, the investigating officers discovered that the thief had broken through the roof to enter the shop and steal the valuables.
The shop’s CCTV security cameras recoded the man looting the store.
Police described the man as young, tall, slim, with fair skin and shoulder length hair. The thief also has a colour-patterned tattoo on his upper right arm and was wearing a flat-band ring on his right-hand ring finger.
While committing the robbery he was wearing a dark shirt and dark trousers as well as a cap and a face mask.
The gold shop CCTV indicated the robbery occurred on “May 2 2018”, but no time of the robbery was given.
Police are now searching for the thief, Maj Nucharee confirmed.