Army troops have joined the hunt for robbers who shot a soldier while stealing gold jewellery worth about 24 million baht from a shop in a Big C mall in Sungai Kolok district, Narathiwat, on Sunday night.
Army spokesman Maj Gen Winthai Suvaree said on Monday that 27-year-old Sgt Burit Radachai was shot and wounded. He was shopping at the mall at the same time the gang was robbing the gold shop.
The injured soldier was hit by several bullets, one of which grazed his neck and others hit him in the chest and leg. He was alive and was being treated in hospital.
Maj Gen Winthai said the robbery was well planned. The robbers had earlier stolen the two pickup trucks they used in committing the crime and making their escape.
They had scattered tyre spikes and explosives on the road along their escape route to prevent pursuit.
The robbery happened at the Big C store about 6.29pm on Sunday. About 10 armed men in black, their faces covered, had briefly taken a security guard at the mall hostage, held gold shop staff at gun point and made off with about 400-baht weight of gold worth about 24 million baht.
The 30-year-old security guard was later treated for extreme shock.
Investigators looking into the heist found two pick-up trucks which they believe were used by the suspects on Monday. The vehicles were abandoned at a palm plantation in Waeng district of Narathiwat, about a kilometre from the Thai-Malaysian border.
Officials believe the heist was not only intended to create panic but also to generate funds for rebel activities. Similar cases in the past include coordinated ATM robberies in August and a major gold shop raid in Songkhla in 2019.