Bangkok: 3 Chinese sought in heist of rare 10mil baht Montblanc watch

[Choonpon]

The authorities sure are fast this time to identify the suspects and even blacklist them. They must have received heavy pressure from the shop owner to act fast or else the case file will just pile up at a corner.

[Tomtomtom69]

How did they identify the suspects just from the security footage? Does the immigration department have photos of all the tourists who come to Thailand, or what?

I'm not being skeptical, I'm just honestly curious how that works.

I agree that it's strange that grainy CCTV footage could identify people so easily, if so, then the Thai authorities should be enlisted to help with every criminal act everywhere in the world and Thailand would have no crime indeed!

However, when you enter Thailand at any checkpoint, both at airports and land border crossings from all 4 neighboring countries there will be a webcam where they take your picture, so yes they have pictures of all of us foreigners here (and locals for that matter, who are stored on a database from the issuance of national ID cards).

In this case, I suspect that the police made an assumption that the suspects recently entered the country, probably via Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang airports (probably the former) but they likely checked the immigration records from both airports dating back to the last couple of days for 3 Chinese nationals traveling together that fit the description from the CCTV footage. Based on these comparisons, they were able to identify the suspects. It's not difficult to do this - in Singapore they are able to do so in record time, which is necessary in such a small country where any criminal can just escape the country within a short time, usually no more than an hour from anywhere on the island if necessary. It's a bit more difficult in a larger country like Thailand but as this case clearly shows, the criminals were well ahead of the authorities as they conducted a well co-ordinated heist, which by the time they were identified the suspects were already back in China.

Edited April 18, 2014 by Tomtomtom69

[Mousehound]

At first, on reading the post banner I thought that these guys have got good taste. But when I look at the picture of the watch I am amazed that they don't take it back as a crime against good design. Could even ask for a refund - they may actually get one!

[belg]

the price was probably 3 million, but with those nice luxery import taxes up to 308% ...

an idea to walk around walking street with a 10 million baht watch ? you think the crooks, thieves and robbers with recognize its value ?

[JohnThailandJohn]

How did they identify the suspects just from the security footage? Does the immigration department have photos of all the tourists who come to Thailand, or what?

I'm not being skeptical, I'm just honestly curious how that works.

I agree that it's strange that grainy CCTV footage could identify people so easily, if so, then the Thai authorities should be enlisted to help with every criminal act everywhere in the world and Thailand would have no crime indeed!

However, when you enter Thailand at any checkpoint, both at airports and land border crossings from all 4 neighboring countries there will be a webcam where they take your picture, so yes they have pictures of all of us foreigners here (and locals for that matter, who are stored on a database from the issuance of national ID cards).

In this case, I suspect that the police made an assumption that the suspects recently entered the country, probably via Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang airports (probably the former) but they likely checked the immigration records from both airports dating back to the last couple of days for 3 Chinese nationals traveling together that fit the description from the CCTV footage. Based on these comparisons, they were able to identify the suspects. It's not difficult to do this - in Singapore they are able to do so in record time, which is necessary in such a small country where any criminal can just escape the country within a short time, usually no more than an hour from anywhere on the island if necessary. It's a bit more difficult in a larger country like Thailand but as this case clearly shows, the criminals were well ahead of the authorities as they conducted a well co-ordinated heist, which by the time they were identified the suspects were already back in China.

Face recognition software is easy and cheap these days and every foreigner has their picture taken at immigration. The picture from the video in the OP is almost surely much less quality than what the camera actually captured ... they often take a picture or even a video from a monitor playing the video for these news items.

Edited April 18, 2014 by JohnThailandJohn

[Bluespunk]

" Its price tag is very high partly because there are only eight such timepieces in the world, and just one in Thailand."

Not any more there ain't.

[Thai at Heart]

How did they identify the suspects just from the security footage? Does the immigration department have photos of all the tourists who come to Thailand, or what?

I'm not being skeptical, I'm just honestly curious how that works.

I agree that it's strange that grainy CCTV footage could identify people so easily, if so, then the Thai authorities should be enlisted to help with every criminal act everywhere in the world and Thailand would have no crime indeed!

However, when you enter Thailand at any checkpoint, both at airports and land border crossings from all 4 neighboring countries there will be a webcam where they take your picture, so yes they have pictures of all of us foreigners here (and locals for that matter, who are stored on a database from the issuance of national ID cards).

In this case, I suspect that the police made an assumption that the suspects recently entered the country, probably via Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi or Don Muang airports (probably the former) but they likely checked the immigration records from both airports dating back to the last couple of days for 3 Chinese nationals traveling together that fit the description from the CCTV footage. Based on these comparisons, they were able to identify the suspects. It's not difficult to do this - in Singapore they are able to do so in record time, which is necessary in such a small country where any criminal can just escape the country within a short time, usually no more than an hour from anywhere on the island if necessary. It's a bit more difficult in a larger country like Thailand but as this case clearly shows, the criminals were well ahead of the authorities as they conducted a well co-ordinated heist, which by the time they were identified the suspects were already back in China.

Truly incredible. 5mn Chinese tourists per year, and they identified 3 just like that.

"So sir, what did they look like".

" chinese.,,5ft 6,straight black hair, bad shoes, Asian looking"

"That's fine sir, we'll have them in a trice."

Its not like they are searching in a village in Africa to find these blokes. Of course, if there isn't an official arrest warrant, the shop is probably on the hook. Who the hell let's a tourist handle a 10mn baht piece with no extra security.

[HerbalEd]

So you blacklist them but want them back? Quite how does that work? All this before actually being found guilty of anything.

Come on, use your brain. It's not difficult to figure out.

[HerbalEd]

How did they identify the suspects just from the security footage? Does the immigration department have photos of all the tourists who come to Thailand, or what?

I'm not being skeptical, I'm just honestly curious how that works.

Have you never seen the cameras at the immigration booth where you submit your passport? They are directly in front of you and less than one meter from your face. Those cameras photograph every entrant and can easily retrieved by face-recognition software.

[HerbalEd]

What I'd like to know is how did they rip off the watch. And am I reading this right ... they actually flew into BKK in the morning, ripped off the watch, and then flew out that same afternoon? If so, for sure the had an inside accomplice.

[Thai at Heart]

How did they identify the suspects just from the security footage? Does the immigration department have photos of all the tourists who come to Thailand, or what?

I'm not being skeptical, I'm just honestly curious how that works.

Have you never seen the cameras at the immigration booth where you submit your passport? They are directly in front of you and less than one meter from your face. Those cameras photograph every entrant and can easily retrieved by face-recognition software.

They can ID these Chinese suspects from this picture in the shop?

You must be kidding me. Or did they sort through all 300k pictures of current Chinese tourists from China. Not allowing of course for them to be Taiwanese, HKers or Singaporean?

[HerbalEd]

If caught they will get more than a slap on the wrist, they will get time.

Better watch it in future,and check their Movements.

On the face of it the BiB have it in hand.

They were SWISSLED, but wit a TICK we have to HAND it to them for it was a MASTERPIECE crime and didn't have to CLOCK on to do the job, I doubt they were Chinese, one of them looks like BIG BEN from London he only wanted the watch on STRAP for a while.

Not BALANCED this story -just a WIND UP. a JEWEL really.

Wow! You guys are sooo witty. In fact, I'm laughing at you now.

[Som wat]

Inside job.

[JeremyBowskill]

So you blacklist them but want them back? Quite how does that work? All this before actually being found guilty of anything.

Come on, use your brain. It's not difficult to figure out.

Guess I'm missing some vital clue, oh great 1..........

[Woodsie888]

Silly watch to steal.

Virtually sale proof.

[ginjag]

Better watch it in future,and check their Movements.

On the face of it the BiB have it in hand.

They were SWISSLED, but wit a TICK we have to HAND it to them for it was a MASTERPIECE crime and didn't have to CLOCK on to do the job, I doubt they were Chinese, one of them looks like BIG BEN from London he only wanted the watch on STRAP for a while.

Not BALANCED this story -just a WIND UP. a JEWEL really.

Wow! You guys are sooo witty. In fact, I'm laughing at you now.

My sort of silly humour, in the family for generations, some folk are not impressed but who cares, a bit of harmless fun makes the day go round, at times when all is doom and gloom.

[soalbundy]

Silly watch to steal.

Virtually sale proof.

Not in China. They will sell it,get a fake one made, be extradited and come back with the fake, full of remorse for the crime but hey it was only a fake

[Woodsie888]

Silly watch to steal.

Virtually sale proof.

Not in China. They will sell it,get a fake one made, be extradited and come back with the fake, full of remorse for the crime but hey it was only a fake

Sure they will, I see fake Tourbillons everywhere I go. Not.

[GAZZPA]

I am not a legal expert but i don't see how the police can blacklist anyone. The police are there to enforce the law but its the courts that decide on guilt or innocence.

For the police to do anything they need a judge to agree, they can't just go ahead and do as they please. This is a very slippy slope.

The most they can do is look for them for questioning and if there is sufficient evidence already they can request to raise an arrest warrant,, thats it. They then gather evidence and if sufficient they can consult the prosecution service to charge them with the crime.

after that its down to the courts, the police have no control.

What next in Thailand? Judge Dredd? Vey scary.

[GAZZPA]

Silly watch to steal.

Virtually sale proof.

Not in China. They will sell it,get a fake one made, be extradited and come back with the fake, full of remorse for the crime but hey it was only a fake

Sure they will, I see fake Tourbillons everywhere I go. Not.

They absolutely are everywhere in China,, don't believe me? Hop over the boarder from Hong Kong to LO Wu and visit the shopping centre right outside the exit.

[Woodsie888]

Silly watch to steal.

Virtually sale proof.

Not in China. They will sell it,get a fake one made, be extradited and come back with the fake, full of remorse for the crime but hey it was only a fake

Sure they will, I see fake Tourbillons everywhere I go. Not.

They absolutely are everywhere in China,, don't believe me? Hop over the boarder from Hong Kong to LO Wu and visit the shopping centre right outside the exit.

Fake operational working Tourbillons? I've yet to see that.

I'm not talking about your regular fake Rolex which no matter how good are always just plain wrong.

[KIWIBATCH]

Time lapse:-

.......So they "flew into Bangkok very early on the 15th"...... (allow 1 maybe 2 hours to disembark aircraft/luggage claim/customs-immigration procedures)...so lets say/assume they were clear of the airport at (say) 7am.

Then a taxi to the middle of Bangkok ex DM or SV....(say 1 even 2 hours - with traffic building at that time of the day)....arrive Rathaprasong intersection area (say) 8am 9am ?

Gaysorn opens (correct me if I am wrong 10am ?)

Perpetrators arrive inside Gaysorn 11am 12pm after fortifying themselves with noodles to build up the courage.

A few pleasantries exchanged with watch shop staff (say) 12.30pm......(nothing like putting the shop staff at ease - off guard)

Heist occurs 1pm - 1.30pm

Out of the shop they go...hail a taxi....back to DM or SV - arriving (say) 3pm

Sweat it for a 2 hours (until say 5pm)......check thru customs ...enter boarding area...sweat another 1 to 2 hours.

Board plane.....gone.

So they came to Bangkok for the day and made a direct bee-line for Gaysorn.......right...?? (I think so)

Gaysorn security "told" the police at 3.15pm about the missing watch.

I would suggest by the time plod got onto it the flight had left.

Security advised that "they should be in their 40's and 50"s"......should be?.....why?

10mil watch flogged out of the shop!! 1 repeat 1 of only 8 in the world and the only 1 in Thailand......

Inside job....or insider help with job....nothing surer

Signing off regards Sherlock.

[Bluespunk]

I am not a legal expert but i don't see how the police can blacklist anyone. The police are there to enforce the law but its the courts that decide on guilt or innocence.

For the police to do anything they need a judge to agree, they can't just go ahead and do as they please. This is a very slippy slope.

The most they can do is look for them for questioning and if there is sufficient evidence already they can request to raise an arrest warrant,, thats it. They then gather evidence and if sufficient they can consult the prosecution service to charge them with the crime.

after that its down to the courts, the police have no control.

What next in Thailand? Judge Dredd? Vey scary.

Judge Dredd? Doubt it. He's incorruptible.

[Africanteacher]

A watch worth over Bt10 million better be a Time Machine!