LAT KRABANG
Policeman shot after truck heist
Bandits hold up armoured van, get away with Bt22m in cash
Three robbers stole Bt22.8 million from an armoured cash transporter in Bangkok yesterday, and nearly killed a policeman in a gunfight after they fled the scene.
Two security officers who manned the truck operated by Siam Administrative Manage-ment Co (Samco), said they were approached by two robbers while transporting money from their vehicle to a Siam Commercial Bank branch in Lat Krabang district.
One robber drew a gun and forced them to lie down while the other threw bags of money into a waiting grey Toyota Altis sedan driven by a third man.
The three bandits fled in the sedan, while a policeman chased it briefly before firing three shots at the car.
Another policeman rushed to intercept the car at a turn 500 metres away near a railway crossing. Pol Sergeant Aran Daengamphol was shot twice - one struck his right knee and the other scratched his neck - when an armed robber returned fire from the fleeing vehicle.
The stolen money had been withdrawn from Siam Commercial Bank's headquarters near the Ratchayothin Intersection. Eight bags contained Bt18.3 million. Another Bt4.5 million snatched in the heist was packed in many bundles.
Witnesses told police the armed robber wore a black jacket, a pair of khaki pants, and had crew-cut hair.
The sedan's licence plate number, which police said was probably fake, was Sor Sala-Jor Jarn 1764, and registered in Bangkok.
Witnesses said they had seen the sedan parked at the scene long before the truck arrived.
Police said both Siam Commercial Bank and Samco employees would be interviewed about whether they had provided inside information to the robbers.
Metropolitan Police chief Lt-General Assawin Khwanmueng said he had asked officers in Provincial Police Region 2, who have jurisdiction over Bangkok's eastern districts, where the robbers appeared to head, to alert patrols to find the sedan or the thieves.
He also instructed police at all 88 stations in Bangkok to watch out for any further hold-ups at gold shops, banks, or especially petrol stations or convenience stores that operate 24 hours.
The Nation Nov. 30, 2007
Could that have been a withdrawal from "frozen accounts"? A lot of money is needed before the elections.