PATTAYA – Police are gathering more evidence to track down a three-man masked gang accused of robbing a British man’s safe containing more than 2 million baht. Investigators believe the suspects had help from someone who knew the money was in the house, and they also suspect at least one Thai national may be involved.
The case involves three suspects dressed in black and wearing full face coverings. Police say the group broke into a home in Nong Prue, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi, late at night on Feb. 26, 2026.
The victim, 32-year-old Wesley Russell, a British national who works as a chef overseas, was inside the house with his Thai partner. The suspects reportedly held a knife to his neck, then went upstairs to a second-floor bedroom.
They removed a safe from inside a wardrobe, carried it out, and escaped in a black four-door pickup truck. Police say the safe contained cash totaling more than 2 million baht.
Officers from the Pattaya Nong Prue Police Station, investigation teams, Provincial Police Region 2, and forensic police in Chonburi Province returned to the home to re-check the scene. They focused on collecting additional evidence, including latent fingerprints.
During the review, investigators also noted damage to the village entrance barrier, believed to have been hit by the suspects’ vehicle during the escape.
Victims and Witnesses Questioned
Investigators called in Russell, his 34-year-old Thai partner (surname withheld), and two British friends who also live in the same house. Police re-interviewed them to confirm details and build clearer suspect descriptions.
A neighbor, a 57-year-old woman identified only by a pseudonym, said she noticed a suspicious pickup entering the village around 8:00 p.m. She said the truck slowed near the victims’ home, which made her uneasy.
Later, a little after 9:00 p.m., she said the same vehicle was parked near a swimming pool area. Shortly after that, she heard a woman shouting for help. She then saw three masked men in black, each holding a knife, walking back to the pickup.
One suspect carried the safe out of the home. She called the police right away. In her account, the suspects spent less than two minutes at the house. The neighbor said four people lived in the rented house, three British men and one Thai woman, with rent reported at 25,000 baht per month.
She also said she later learned the Thai woman had withdrawn a large amount of cash from a bank about two to three days earlier, planning to buy a new home. Because of that timing, she believes someone close to the victims may have shared information about the money.
Police have not confirmed an insider, but they say the case likely involved a tip because the suspects went straight to the safe. CCTV footage at the village entrance reportedly shows the suspects’ pickup entering at 10:19 p.m. (the camera time was about 13 minutes behind). The truck then drove toward the home.
At about 10:38 p.m., the vehicle appears to be leaving the village. The driver slowed due to the entry barrier. Footage shows a security guard moving to open it, but the suspects rammed through instead and turned left, fleeing at high speed.
Investigators say the suspects later threw the victim’s mobile phone into a wooded area near a railway-side road, about 2 to 3 kilometers from the home. Police believe the suspects then headed toward Wat Boon Kanchanaram Road, which is why they suspect the gang may still be hiding in the Pattaya area.
Police said Russell arrived in Thailand around November and had been in the country for about two months. The stolen cash was reportedly intended for buying a new house, since the group currently rents their home.
As for the suspects’ identities, the victims could not confirm nationalities. Still, police say they believe at least one suspect may be Thai, and they continue to investigate the possibility of local support.
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