Serial smart-phone snatcher snared

Manop Bunsonggusonjit, 22, was arrested at his Bangkok Noi home, where police seized his motorcycle and four Apple i-Phones. The arrest followed an incident on the night of May 9, when four men on two motorcycles robbed 17-year-old student Thanadech Samakthanyakit of his i-Phone in Bangkok’s Chatuchak district.
Manop reportedly admitted that he and three friends set up a gang they dubbed “Wat Mali Thon Buri” to rob people of valuables, mainly in the Thon Buri area. Their modus operandi was to target lone men talking on smart phones – such as i-Phone and Samsung models – in isolated roadside areas. According to police, Manop admitted that the gang had robbed almost 40 people. They stole about five phones per week and sold them for Bt7,000 a pop to vendors at Khlong Lot Market. The proceeds were used to fund snooker sessions and nightclubbing excursions, the suspect confessed to police.
The investigation had also found that the gang stole a Samsung phone and Bt3,000 cash from a man in a separate incident on May 9.
Police were looking for the three gang members still at large, believed to be two 19-year-olds and a minor.