Apologetic bank robbery suspect bought gun on Internet: alleged robberce
A man who allegedly apologised to the teller he was robbing at a Thanachart Bank branch in Bangkok said he bought the gun he used on the internet, Metropolitan police chief Pol Lt General Sanit Mahatavorn said on Tuesday.
Wattana Phujarit, 30, was arrested yesterday in Chaiyaphum province for robbing the bank on September 7 and escaping with about Bt257,000 in cash.
Wattana did not cover his face during the heist and told a teller at gunpoint that he was sorry but he was desperate as he had financial problems.
The suspect told police that he was about to surrender before being arrested as he was tired of being on the run. He still had Bt240,800 in different denominations when he was apprehended.
Wattana said he decided to rob the bank because he was in considerable debt due to his love of gambling and he needed the cash to repay his debts, said Sanit.
“During the robbery, he did not cover his face or wear a hat as he did not want to hurt anybody. What he wanted was the money,” Sanit said.
Despite earlier reports that the gun Wattana used was a fake, Sanit said he used a real 38mm handgun which he had purchased from the internet.
He confessed that before the robbery, he visited the bank to survey the routes and venue, Sanit said. After the heist, he escaped to Nakhon Nayok and bought a bicycle for Bt800 and planned to travel to Chaiyaphum, about 277 kilometres from Nakhon Nayok. He said he chose bicycle because he wanted to avoid attention.
Sanit said Wattana chose to rob the Bangkok branch because he said it did not have many customers and security guards were not professional or well-trained.
The guards at the bank opened the door for the suspect as he left as they believed he was a normal customer.
Wattana was later taken for crime re-enactment.
