Malaysian suspect in THB7 million Hat Yai gold heist caught in Bangkok 

The suspect in the armed robbery of a gold shop in Hat Yai district of Songkhla province was apprehended at Bangkok’s Southern Bus Terminal on Wednesday, an official from Provincial Police Region 9 said.

Yee Boon Long, 61, a Malaysian national, was caught with 69 gold necklaces, a gun, and ammunition as he was getting off a bus from Hat Yai to Bangkok, according to police.

He is now being escorted back to Songkhla province for prosecution, they added.

The robbery took place at 11:55 a.m. on Tuesday (April 8) at the Thai Udom 2 gold shop on Montri 1 Road, in the heart of downtown Hat Yai. Shop clerks reported that the gun-wielding, masked robber seized approximately 2.25 kg of gold jewelry, valued at over 7 million baht, from the display cabinets before fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.

Following the robbery, the provincial court issued an arrest warrant for the suspect, identified as Yee Boon Long, a 61-year-old Malaysian national who also goes by several aliases, including the Thai name Anucha Saeyeoh.

Authorities believed he was still hiding out in Thailand. Region 9 Police Commissioner, Pol Lt Gen Piyawat Chaloemsri, placed a 100,000-baht bounty on his capture, describing him as having a notable criminal background.

Piyawat noted that the suspect had previously robbed a gold shop in Hat Yai in 2017 and was released from prison about a year and a half ago.

A police source revealed that Yee is also suspected of murdering two Thai brothers—Montree Saekung and Srirat Saekung—at a rented house in Tambon Koh Yor, Songkhla’s Muang district, on May 22, 2014.

In Malaysia, Yee is reportedly wanted for robbing a gold shop in Butterworth, Seberang Perai, in the state of Penang around 20 years ago. He allegedly made off with gold worth 50 million baht in that incident before fleeing to Thailand.

According to the source, Yee is also wanted in Malaysia for allegedly working as a contract killer, with approximately ten victims linked to his name.

After fleeing to Thailand, Yee reportedly purchased a fake Thai ID card in Chai Prakan district of Chiang Mai province for 250,000 baht, assuming the identity of “Anucha Saeyeoh,” a supposed hill tribe member.