Suspect arrested after rifle robbery at waterfall in Chalong

Chalong Police arrested a man accused of using a scoped long firearm to rob a Myanmar national at a secluded waterfall in Chalong, Phuket.

Police said the victim had parked his motorcycle near Soi Klum Yang before going alone to swim. A man wearing a full-face motorcycle helmet allegedly approached him, threatened and assaulted him, and then loaded the motorcycle onto a pickup truck and fled.

Investigators traced the suspect’s movements through witness accounts and escape routes. Officers identified him as “Mr Dam”, an alias, and arrested him at his residence within hours, police said.

A search allegedly found the victim’s personal documents, narcotics-related paraphernalia, the pickup truck used in the robbery and the firearm. The stolen motorcycle was recovered intact. Police also said images on the suspect’s mobile phone showed the motorcycle being loaded onto the truck and included photographs of the firearm.

According to police, the suspect had previous theft convictions and had served a prison sentence for drug trafficking. He has been charged with armed robbery using a vehicle, assault causing bodily and psychological harm, and drug use. The case is proceeding through the legal system.