STRATEGIC PARTNERS
January 6, 2003
BANGKOK, Thailand -- Police discovered a van containing 53.5 million baht (about $1.2 million U.S.) stolen by a cash courier parked in Sai Mai district yesterday, with 42 million baht (about $975,400 U.S.) still inside.
On Jan. 3, Krongsit Kamsuanjik, a 37-year-old employee of Siam Commercial Bank (SCB)subsidiary Siam Administrative Management Co, allegedly sped away with the van while on a routine job to stock 12 ATMs with cash.
According to a report in the Bangkok Post, passersby alerted police after finding the white Toyota van parked at a cafe at 7 a.m. on Jan. 5. Police and SCB staff opened the van with a spare key.
They said six cash boxes containing 11.5 million baht (about $267,000 U.S.) were missing, and they assume the driver took them. The rest of the money -- about 42 million baht in 43 cash boxes -- was left behind in the van.
Metropolitan police commissioner Damrongsak Nilkhuha said an investigation was underway, and suspects would be arrested quickly. Police do not believe the thief worked alone, although no other suspects were named.
The van left the bank's head office on Jan. 3 loaded with 62 million baht (about $1.4 million U.S.) Couriers, bank staff and a policeman guarding the money had left the van to put cash into an ATM at the Family Mini Mart on Ram Intra road, leaving about 53,581,400 baht behind.
When the machine malfunctioned, they stayed in the store for 30 minutes to repair it -- in which time Krongsit allegedly took off.
"The cash delivery van has no tracking device because it is an old model. The company will clear all old vans soon,' said Somphop Chullapolwong, SAM Co's director for asset management.
The SCB and SAM Co also provide cash delivery services for several other commercial banks.
