Man Shocked to Find Mother's Udon Home Emptied by Burglars
A Bangkok man discovered his mother's Udon Thani house had been completely stripped of valuables by burglars, with an accompanying massive electricity bill spike of nearly 50,000 baht raising suspicion the thieves damaged the wiring.
On September 16, a 57-year-old Bangkok resident named Sithipol filed a report with Muang Udon Thani Police Station after discovering his mother's single-story house had been broken into and thoroughly looted. The man was doubly shocked when he noticed the electricity bill had skyrocketed from usually under 100 baht per month to 49,681.90 baht. When he called the power company to ask about the spike, staff were evasive and offered only a vague explanation of an electrical leak.
Police inspectors examined the house in Muang District, Udon Thani Province, and found thieves had systematically stripped it of valuable items, including electrical wiring, air conditioning units (both indoor and outdoor), a water pump, a lawn mower, perimeter wiring, ceiling fans, and other property. Sithipol explained that he was looking after the normally unoccupied house on his mother's behalf until September 3, when he noticed the abnormal electricity bill.
He rushed back from Bangkok to check the property and discovered signs of forced entry and complete theft. Investigators suspect that dismantled and short-circuited electrical wiring may have caused the power surge. Sithipol also expressed suspicion that the power company may have secretly switched the meter from analog to digital without notifying the homeowner. Muang Udon Thani Police have documented the incident and are coordinating with forensic teams to search for fingerprints and fingerprint evidence, while also reviewing security camera footage from nearby areas to identify and prosecute those responsible.
