Army lieutenant charged with B1m bank robbery

Lt Jaruphum Panator, in purple T-shirt, 48, is arrested for the robbery of a Krungthai Bank branch in Muang Buri Ram on Dec 24. The robber made off with one million baht. (Photo by Surachai Piragsa)

BURI RAM: An army lieutenant has confessed to robbing a Krungthai Bank branch in Muang district of one million baht, saying he needed money to pay off his debts.

Lt Jaruphum Panator, 48, of a military camp in Muang district, was apprehended on Tuesday at a traffic police checkpoint on Rop Muang Road in Muang district. Police at the checkpoint stopped his pickup truck for a search.

Police said a security camera recording showed the same pickup entering and leaving the provincial hall grounds at the time of the robbery of the KTB branch there on Monday afternoon.

During the search, police found 50,000 baht in the vehicle. Lt Jaruphum was taken to Muang police station for questioning.

After intense interrogation, the army officer confessed to the holdup at the KTB’s provincial hall branch on Dec 24. The robber made off with one million baht.

Lt Jaruphum allegedly told the investigators he had kept most of the stolen cash in his house, but buried some of the money in a forest. The arresting officers took him to his house, where 500,000 baht was found hidden. Another 300,000 baht was found buried in nearby forest.

Lt Jaruphum claimed he spent 150,000 baht of the money paying his debts and carried with him the 50,000 baht that was seized during his arrest.

The suspect said he had carried out the robbery alone. He had huge debts he could not meet, so he decided to hold up the bank.

Police initially pressed a charge of robbery against the suspect.

Lt Jaruphum was being taken for a crime re-enactment on Wednesday afternoon.

The Bangkok Post contacted the military unit where Lt Jaruphum is based and was told he had been suspended from duty pending a disciplinary probe into the incident. If he committed the crime alone, he would appear in the military court. If civilians were involved, he would be arraigned in civilian court along with the others

On Monday, Pol Col Charnchai Pongpichitkul, deputy chief of Buri Ram police, said a security camera recording had shown a lone gunman.

The robber, wearing a black cap and a face mask, threatened a female employee at the KTB branch counter, telling her to put money in a bag. There were no customers there at the time, and no security guards at the bank branch.

The only security was defence volunteers guarding the provincial hall.

Lt Jaruphum Panator shows police the money he had buried in a forest. (Photo by Surachai Piragsa)