Southern Thailand
Israeli Arrested in Phuket for Attempted Robbery of VIP Money Changer
An Israeli man has been arrested in connection with an attempted robbery at a VIP money changer in Phuket. The 26-year-old Israeli suspect, whose identity was withheld, was apprehended on Monday by Patong police.
According to police, the man attempted to rob and abuse a woman at a VIP money changer in the Patong district on December 31. He fled after the woman cried for aid.
Police used video footage from security cameras to monitor the man’s escape and location, eventually leading to his arrest this week.
He is facing allegations of attempted robbery, violence, and overstaying his visa. The suspect has rejected claims of the attempted robbery.
Belgium Wanted on Interpol Red Warrant Captured in Phuket
In other Phuket news, a 36-year-old fugitive sentenced to prison in Belgium for attempted murder has been apprehended in Phuket, where he works as a DJ at a Patong nightclub.
The man, named only as Achmal, 36, was hauled into custody by Phuket immigration officers at an apartment on Patong Beach. Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nuchanart, Deputy Immigration Chief, stated on Tuesday.
Achmal holds dual Belgian-Moroccan citizenship and was wanted in Belgium on allegations of attempted murder, illegal firearm possession, and illegal ammunition and gun accessories. The charge stemmed from a road rage shooting in Belgium on January 19, 2014, he claimed.
The suspect was located and apprehended at the request of the Office of the Attorney-General, who requested that police hand him over to prosecutors at the International Affairs Division for extradition to Belgium.
According to immigration police, the Appeals Court in Brussels sentenced the defendant to ten years in prison.
Police said Achmal had used a Belgian passport to enter Thailand several times. He also entered the nation with a Moroccan passport and frequently changed his domicile, living in Bangkok, Si Sa Ket, and Phuket.
He was eventually tracked down to an apartment on Patong Beach, where he worked as a DJ at a Patong bar.
Korean and Indonesian Fugitives Arrested
Meanwhile, immigration officials said they have apprehended an Indonesian man wanted in his native country in connection with a foreign-exchange scam that defrauded victims out of 320 million baht.
Putra Wibowo, 39, was arrested at a house in Nonthaburi’s Bang Yai district that he had purchased in his wife’s name, according to Pol Maj Gen Phanthana Nuchanart, deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau.
He was first accused with overstaying his visa in Thailand for two years. He is also the subject of an Interpol Red Notice in relation to an arrest warrant issued by Indonesian authorities, with further actions pending.
In another recent case, authorities apprehended a South Korean man inside a condominium in Chiang Mai’s Muang district and accused him with overstaying his visa after he entered the country last year.
Officers later learnt from the South Korean embassy that Hyunggu Min, 43, was the target of an Interpol Red Notice in connection with a 12-million-baht fraud case in his own country, said Pol Maj Gen Phanthana.
