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Published on October 17, 2007

Khomsan Khotepathum, 32, an electrician from Samut Prakan's Muang district, also tried to pay the fare with one of the stolen necklaces.

Police said they found the man after they reviewed the information contained in his wallet.

Police said Khomsan had confessed to robbing a gold shop at The Mall Bang Khae department store, as well as several other similar thefts.

The taxi driver who helped Khomsan flee the scene of the robbery said he became suspicious when his passenger paid the fare with a necklace. The unnamed driver said Khomsan had appeared extremely agitated before he was dropped off at Wat Sri Iam intersection.

The driver notified police after he found Khomsan's wallet on the floor of his taxi.

Police found 123 gold necklaces weighing about 4.5 kilograms in Khomsan's home, along with a knife, a plastic pistol and a hammer. But they are still looking for a real gun, which they believe the suspect used in the robbery and discarded before the arrest.

During a re-enactment of the crime yesterday, Khomsan said he had resorted to robbery because he was heavily in debt. However, police discovered that he had bought three sedans and recently paid a down payment on a house using his ill-gotten gains.

The first robbery he committed was at a gold shop not far from his home.

Before making the arrest, police studied high-resolution images from security cameras owned by another gold shop adjacent to the one Khomsan robbed.

The Nation