Security forces in Narathiwat have arrested three men suspected of involvement in the recent gold shop robbery at Big C Sungai Kolok, while a separate bombing incident in Yi Ngo district yesterday morning injured several civilians and police officers.
Col Sitthichai Bamrungkhet, commander of the Narathiwat Special Task Force, led a joint operation on Wednesday alongside provincial police investigators and five special operations teams from the 48th Ranger Regiment.
The operation targeted individuals believed to be connected to both the June 28 attack on a tambon protection unit in Gia district and the Oct 5 armed robbery of more than 600 baht-weight of gold in Sungai Kolok.
Raids were conducted at three locations in Paluru subdistrict, Sungai Padi district, leading to the arrests of Azro Benkaso, 25; Niareifan Nileh, 24; and Anwa bin Abdulrahman, 43.
Authorities seized several items of evidence, including mobile phones and a vehicle and collected DNA samples for forensic analysis.
The suspects were initially taken to Sungai Padi Police Station for questioning before being transferred to the interrogation centre of the 46th Ranger Regiment in Mueang Narathiwat.
The arrests followed the Narathiwat Provincial Court’s issuance of warrants for four individuals in connection with the gold shop robbery.
Investigators believe the three detainees may also have links to the earlier armed attack in Gia district.
Meanwhile, at about 8.50am yesterday, an explosion occurred outside a tea shop near Yi Ngo temple in Yi Ngo subdistrict as police were on a routine patrol on the street in front of the shop.
The blast, believed to have been caused by an improvised explosive device, injured three officers and six civilians, including women and elderly residents.
Investigators believe the device was planted and detonated as the patrol vehicle passed, but the explosion predominantly struck civilians instead.
The bombing came just one day after a police raid on a religious school in Pattani’s Sai Buri district resulted in a deadly shootout. One border patrol officer from the explosive ordnance disposal unit and one armed suspect were killed, while another suspect was arrested with firearms seized.
The Police Region 9 commander has ordered security forces to expand the investigation to determine any connections between the suspects and the recent unrest.
Security has been tightened across public and high-risk areas to restore public confidence.