Cabbie urged to return Bt13m worth of gold

Akekarat Kanokwannakorn, 60, said he had left the 540 baht weight of gold in a pink Toyota Altis taxi that he had flagged down on Bangkok’s Worachak Road to travel to Si Mum Muang Market in Pathum Thani’s Klong Luang district. However, he said he could not remember the cab’s licenceplate number.
Akekarat said he and wife, Surat, 58, had taken the gold ornaments to a shop in Bangkok’s Yaowarat area to change the patterns.
Khu Khot police investigator Pol LtColonel Udom Sukprasert said the market’s security camera had captured images of the cab the couple were riding in, but the licence number was not clear. He said it would be difficult to locate the cab, especially since there are some 20,000 pink taxis plying the streets in Greater Bangkok.
However, Udom said the cabbie should return the gold, because if he hung on to it, police would be able to gather enough evidence for an arrest warrant.
Police have been checking with other gold shops to see if any of them have bought ornaments according to Akekarat’s description, while 20 taxi companies have been called upon to help locate the cabbie.