Retired Officer Caught in Lop Buri Midnight Robbery Attempt: A Desperate Bid for Cash Unfolds

In the bustling heart of Lop Buri, just after the stroke of midnight on July 10, a scene unfolded that seemed to leap straight off the pages of a crime novel. A retired military officer, aged 66, found himself at the center of a botched robbery attempt at a local convenience store. The officer, driven by financial desperation, drew a firearm and attempted to take what wasn’t his, igniting a small whirlwind of chaos in the nocturnal hours.

The incident, reported to the 191 Radio Centre at exactly twelve minutes past midnight, took place at a convenience store tucked away in a petrol station on Chomphon Pibulsongkram Road, within the vibrant Mueang Lop Buri district. The masked perpetrator, after his futile robbery bid, sped away in a grey car along the shadowed lanes leading to Naresuan Road in the Khao Sam Yod subdistrict.

Quick on the trail, Police Lieutenant Somnuk Kidtook sprang into action. Informed swiftly of the attempted robbery, he relayed the gravity of the situation to his superiors and dispatched patrol officers to seal off the area. As they arrived, the stillness of the closed petrol station contrasted starkly with the adrenaline-heavy atmosphere of the still-open convenience store.

Inside, the jittery staff recounted the harrowing encounter. One employee had been attending the front while another tucked into a meal in a cozy, dimly lit back room. The seemingly mundane scenario was shattered as a man in a black coat, shorts, and an ominous balaclava burst through the entrance. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a handgun and demanded that the lights be snuffed out. Fueled by fear, the employees dashed to the back, leaving the rattled customers to scatter in a frenzied panic.

The would-be thief crept towards the cash register, but the god of misfortune had other plans; he failed to pry open the stubborn cash drawer. The employees made their escape through a rear exit, and as the suspect returned to the front, realization dawned upon him—his plan had unraveled. Opting for flight over fight, he hastily abandoned the scene in a van.

Yet, the midnight shadows offered little refuge. Law enforcement quickly zeroed in on the suspect’s vehicle—a Nissan van with Lop Buri plates—discovered at a junction along Naresuan Road. There, peacefully sitting beside his wife near her food stall less than a mile from the store, was the suspect, identified as Komsonthi. A search of their van unveiled a loaded .32 calibre revolver lurking beneath the seats, its presence a silent testament to the night’s intentions.

Komsonthi, bewildered yet eerily calm, was taken into custody. His wife, visibly shaken, expressed disbelief at her beloved’s actions, recounting how he’d left their stall only briefly under the guise of a restroom visit at the petrol station. She was adamant; there were no unusual tremors in his demeanor until the police appeared, sirens blaring.

The store employees were unwavering in their identification of Komsonthi as the elusive suspect. His wife confided in the officers, sharing poignant details of his struggles with mental health and bowel disease—a doctor’s appointment looming on their calendar for July 23. As officers questioned him, Komsonthi’s responses circled back to one desperate confession: he needed money.

In the wake of the attempted robbery, Komsonthi faced immediate charges for wielding an unlicensed firearm in a public setting without justification. As the wheels of justice turned, additional charges of attempted robbery awaited scrutiny, while Police Lieutenant Waree Sroisa-nga and his team poured over surveillance footage and gathered testimony from those caught in the unfortunate whirlwind.

Thus, this strange chapter in Lop Buri’s nightly tales unfolded—a story teetering between desperate need and moral missteps, perhaps a reminder of the lurking hardships concealed behind even the most disciplined artillery of an officer’s past.