Pattaya Daily News

Pattaya, the 31^st of August 2010 [PDN]: At approximately 2:30am on Tuesday, Lieutenant Colonel Phatsa Detphakhul (Pattaya Police Investigator) was notified of a robbery in Soi Daeng Dum off Thepprasit Road. A team of officers were dispatched to the incident to investigate.

Arriving at the scene, an enclosed 2-storey house, officers were confronted by the owners/tenants, Mr. Frederik Gordijn [67] and Mrs. Josina Cornelia Gordijn [64], who explained the situation.

Allegedly, both Mr. Gordijn and his wife had left the premises in the early evening, leaving the gardener/handyman, Mr. Kai (Burmese national), at the house. Mr. Gordijn explained that they had not locked the doors due to Mr. Kai’s presence inside, while their guard dog was chained up at the front gate.

Upon returning home shortly after midnight, Mr. Gordijn explained that they had immediately suspected a robbery as the front door was left wide-open. A brief inspection of the house confirmed their suspicions, the pair finding several valuable items gone and their safe open and emptied.

Officers investigating the scene explained that the couple’s bedroom appeared to have been thoroughly searched while the safe had been opened without force (Mr. Gordijn later revealed that the key to the safe had been hidden in another location). No sign of a forced entry to the house was evident, officers suspecting the unlocked front door as the offender’s point of entry and exit.

According to a statement by Mr. Gordijn, the offenders had stolen approximately Bt100,000 in cash (Euro and Baht), 3 gold necklaces (total 8 baht in weight), a 12 karat Russian diamond ornament set (Bt790,000) and 10 other items of varying value. Police estimate the haul in excess of Bt1 million.

Police interrogated Mr. Kai, supposedly in the house at the time of the robbery, who stated that he had been watching television throughout the night and had not seen or heard anything.

Officers speculate that the thieves had intimate knowledge of both the house and the Gordijn’s movements, while Mr. Kai will be further questioned over the course of investigations due to his apparent agitation during initial interrogations. Fingerprint analysis of the scene, including the safe, has been undertaken by crime scene examiners while police investigations are ongoing.

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Extensive Gallery [ 4 photos ]