Broke Nana tourist busted for robbing bank for ticket home

An Australian man is held in police custody after his attempt to buy a plane ticket home with the money stolen from a bank failed. (FM. 91 Trafficpro photo)

A 23-year-old Australian man was arrested Monday after he allegedly held up Thanachart Bank with a BB gun in hopes of buying a plane ticket home.

Metropolitan police chief Pol Lt Gen Sanit Mahathavorn said 23-year-old Zachary Cronin was wearing a black Guy Fawkes mask and goggles when he stormed into the bank's Saphan Khwai branch at 8.45am today yelling ''Money!'' He said the man pointed the fake gun at the tellers, who handed over 170,000 baht

Mr Cronin made it only 200 metres before being cuffed.

Pol Lt Col Aumnart Harnchana, deputy chief of Bang Sue police station, told Thairath Online, that a bank staffer hit the alarm, but a Bang Sue policeman was already inside the branch. He and the bank's security guard chased down the Aussie, whose choice of getaway routes turned out to be a dead-end soi next to the bank.

Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Sanit Mahathaworn told FM 91 Trafficpro radio that Mr Cronin said he was a tourist staying in the Nana red-light area on Sukhumvit Road and had spent all his money in a month. He then decided to rob the bank.

"The suspect wanted to use the money to buy a plane ticket back to Australia," Pol Lt Gen Sanit said.

Mr Cronin travelled from Nana to Saphan Kwai by BTS Skytrain and spent five minutes scouting areas outside the Thanachart Bank before the robbery, he added.

Pol Lt Gen Sanit told the Associated Press that Mr Cronin has been charged with robbery, which carries a punishment of up to 10 years in jail. No date has been set for his court arraignment, which he said could happen in late November or early December.