Public health director says he robbed bank to help indebted friend

The arrest of Rungroj Boonprakorb, 48, was announced on Saturday at a 9.30am press conference at the Bang Pakong police station in Chachoengsao.
Rungroj allegedly robbed a Krung Thai Bank branch at the Tesco Lotus Bang Wua shopping mall at 3:30pm on Wednesday and made off with Bt593,890 in cash, said Deputy Police Commissioner General Pol General Chalermkiart Sriworakhan.
He was arrested at 2am on Friday.
Rungroj is the director of the pubic health and environment division of Tambon Bang Samak Municipality.
Rungroj admitted in front of senior police officers and reporters at the press conference that he acted alone in the robbery.
He said he decided to rob the bank because one of his friends was heavily in debt and had to repay the debt by February 1.
Rungroj declined to name the friend and denied that he was himself in debt over football gambling. He said he had used the robbery sum to pay the friend’s debt and none remained.
He said it was his first robbery and he was not involved in the two robberies of a TMB bank branch in Bang Pakong totalling over Bt2 million. The two robbery cases have so far not been closed.
Rungroj was taken to re-enact the alleged crime after the press conference.