Colombian gang arrested for theft in luxury housing estates

BANGKOK, June 20 (TNA) -- Police arrested five Colombians suspected of stealing valuables worth more than 2 million baht at a luxury housing estate in Nonthaburi province and found that they repeated the crime in Thailand after previous apprehension in 2013. The five were identified as Escobar Alonso, 48, Nester Fabricio, 46, Cover Cardinez, 35, Cuervo Cardenas, 28, and Fabio Andres, 35. The gang also included Akaradej Manujam, a 40-year-old Thai-Swiss man, who was also arrested. They were wanted under arrest warrants issued by the Nonthaburi provincial court. Police seized from them two Honda Jazz cars and 215 items of stolen assets worth nearly 10 million baht. Police said the gang traveled on a Honda Jazz car to the house of Mr Worawat Patanachakorn, 61, a former section head of the Thailand Tobacco Monopoly, in the Phetlada housing estate in Nonthaburi at night of May 23. As the house owners were upcountry, the gang took away a big safe containing more than 2 million baht worth of cash, gold ornaments, antique Buddha amulets, and expensive watches. Police believed the gang had earlier stolen in the Maneeya housing estate and they used rented cars with fake license plates in the crime. Police said that the Colombians had been arrested for the same crime in 2013 and deported after finishing their jail term last year. Mr Akaradej had been jailed for theft in an area under the jurisdiction of the Chokechai police station in Bangkok and Mr Alonso had been jailed for the same crime in the area of the Bang Kaew police station in Samut Prakan province. Both knew each other in a prison and formed a gang of thieves to repeat the crime after being released from jail. Mr Akaradej who acted as a facilitator confessed to the crime while Colombians denied all charges. (TNA)