Armed Gang Raids Factory, Ties Up Guard in Bang Lamung
A gang of about ten knife-wielding men raided a factory in Bang Lamung, Chonburi, early on November 10, binding and gagging a security guard before looting and vandalizing the premises. The guard escaped after two hours and alerted industrial estate patrol officers. Police are investigating and suspect the attackers may be foreign nationals based on their accents.
A gang of about ten men stormed a factory in the middle of the night, bound and gagged a security guard with socks, threatened him with knives, and destroyed property before vanishing.
On November 10, reporters inspected a company inside an industrial estate in Bang Lamung district, Chonburi province, after a group of roughly ten assailants broke in around 1:10 AM the previous night. They used knives to threaten and tied up the security guard before proceeding to steal and damage numerous items.
The factory is a large facility spanning several rai, located about three kilometers off Motorway Route 7, with 24-hour security. Reporters tried to contact Ms. Samrit, 37, the company's authorized representative for filing a police report, but could not reach her.
Later, reporters spoke by phone with the victimized security guard, who is now recuperating at a dormitory in the Sahaphat area. He recounted that while patrolling the factory fence, he spotted three suspicious men walking alongside it. He shone a flashlight and blew a whistle to chase them away, but suddenly another group of about six men, whom he had not noticed, rushed in and seized him. They bound his hands behind his back, tied his feet, and stuffed socks in his mouth to muffle any cries for help. The gang then dragged him from the lit area to a dark corner inside the factory, forced him to lie face down, and two men stood over him with knives, threatening him continuously.
Mr. Kiti added that while being restrained, he heard other gang members smashing things inside the factory but could not see what was happening because he was kept face down in the dark. He does not know what they did or what property they took.
After about two hours, once he was sure the entire gang had fled, he struggled free, crawled to the front of the factory, and encountered a patrol officer from the Rojana Industrial Estate, who came to his aid.
Mr. Kiti also said that from the gang's accents, he believes the perpetrators were foreigners or migrant workers, though police must still verify their nationalities and identities.
Regarding damaged property, the police daily log notes the gang destroyed a large power cable about ten meters long, as well as the front door, doors on floors 1, 2, and 3, and numerous locks and cylinders. The guard's stolen personal items included a 10,000 mAh power bank, Luang Pu Thuad amulet powder, and two packs of drinking water. The total value of damage to the company has not yet been confirmed.
On the investigation front, Pol. Lt. Col. Sarawut Nuchnarat, chief of Bang Lamung Police Station, has ordered investigators and detectives to urgently gather witnesses and evidence, examine entry and exit routes, and track down the gang for swift prosecution.
