Chiang Rai – Utterly brazen. Two armed accomplices fired warning shots and stormed a gold shop inside Lotus's Chiang Khong, sweeping trays of gold jewellery — necklaces, rings, and more — filling two backpacks almost to the brim before speeding off on a motorcycle. They are believed to have fled across the Mekong scot-free.
At 15:59 on today (4 August), officers from Chiang Khong Police Station in Chiang Rai Province received a report that armed suspects had raided the Yaowarat Bangkok Gold shop, Lotus's Chiang Khong branch, inside the Lotus's department store on Route 1020, Moo 10, Wiang Subdistrict, Chiang Khong District, Chiang Rai Province — approximately 3–4 kilometres from the Mekong River on the Thai–Lao PDR border. Officers immediately rushed to the scene to investigate.
Interviews with department store and gold shop staff revealed that the perpetrators were two men. The first, who walked ahead, wore black long trousers and a hooded sweatshirt with the hood down so that his face remained visible. He was tall and slim, wore sneakers, glasses, and a white surgical mask pulled down to his chin, leaving his mouth uncovered. The second man, who followed behind, was shorter. He wore jeans, a plain-coloured T-shirt layered under a brown-yellow sweatshirt, a dark brown cap, and a white surgical mask worn fully over his mouth. Both men each carried a backpack and held a 9 mm short-barrelled pistol in their hands.
Before the robbery, the first man had the sweatshirt hood pulled up over his head, but upon entering the shop he pulled it back down. He then fired one shot into the ceiling, leaving a clearly visible hole and a cartridge case on the floor. The security guard and gold shop staff who had been standing at the front of the store, as well as a female employee standing behind the gold jewellery display case, were all startled.
The first suspect then walked straight toward the display case, while the second held his gun on the security guard, who had backed away a short distance and was ready to intervene — but upon seeing that both robbers were armed, withdrew. Meanwhile, the first man jumped over the glass display case into the interior of the shop and began sweeping gold jewellery into his bag, while the second stood outside the case with his gun raised, aiming at anyone who approached, particularly the security guard.
Once the others had retreated, the second man stood outside the display case and prevented at least one female employee inside the shop who was trying to climb over the case from escaping, ordering her instead to sit on the floor. The two robbers then opened their bags and scooped in gold jewellery — including gold necklaces, rings, and more — until their bags were full, amid the panic of staff and customers who ran to the car park out of fear of being harmed, as the robbers continued to brandish their guns throughout. The robbers spent approximately one minute scooping up gold jewellery to their satisfaction before running back out the way they had come.
Police examined evidence from CCTV footage and found that the pair had ridden a black Honda Scoopy i motorcycle with Chiang Rai licence plate 2 Kor Thor 1084, fleeing via Ban Choko, Wiang Subdistrict, Chiang Khong District, before abandoning the motorcycle in the grass beside the Mekong River. It is believed they may have already fled to the Lao PDR side. Thai authorities have coordinated with Houayxay, Bokeo Province, which lies directly across the Mekong River, to assist in tracking them down. The total losses sustained by the gold shop are currently under assessment.
