A lone robber escaped with an unspecified quantity of gold ornaments from a gold shop in Thung Song district of Nakhon Si Thammarat province last night, and left behind a fake bomb.
Police said that the suspect could be the same person who robbed the same shop back in March last year, because of the similar modus operandi. Last year, the robber escaped with more than 40 baht weight (~21 ounces) in gold ornaments.
The robber, who wore a head-to-toe black overall and hood, arrived at the gold shop at about 9.40pm, as it was about to close.
Brandishing a handgun, he fired one shot into a glass cabinet containing gold ornaments, frightening the employees and customers. He then grabbed a number of gold ornaments, left a fake bomb and fled the scene.
Police arrived shortly after being alerted and cordoned off the area, as a bomb disposal squad made the suspect device safe. It turned out to be a fake.
Police did, however, find a trace of blood on the broken cabinet, which is thought to be from the robber after cutting himself on the shattered glass.
