Na Jomtien: Police and the son of the owner of the Alangkarn Theatre in Na Jomtien staged an ambush on Friday night and arrested two men accused of repeatedly stealing electrical cable and other property, with losses estimated in the millions of baht.
At about 10:20 p.m. on October 2nd, 2026, Samiti Chiaraphaitoon, 46, the son of the theatre’s owner, worked with officers from Na Jomtien Police Station to intercept the suspects at the Alangkarn Theatre in Moo 2 in the Na Jomtien subdistrict. The venue had been targeted multiple times for cable and property theft, with cumulative damage put in the millions of baht.
Earlier, Samiti reviewed CCTV footage and saw two men enter the premises and later leave carrying bags and black sacks. He then coordinated with police to set up a stakeout in wooded ground beside the road along the Huai Yai railway line.
The two men were seen walking out from the theatre side before riding off on a motorcycle. Officers stopped them for a check. Both said they had only come to fish. A search of the black sacks turned up a large quantity of electrical cable, while their bags contained wire cutters and electrical testing equipment.
The suspects were identified as Preedon Boonkerd and Nattapong Tangjaidee. They were taken to Na Jomtien Police Station for further questioning. Police said the pair initially admitted entering the theatre before and stealing CCTV cameras, steel, and zinc sheets, which they sold to scrap dealers.
Samiti said the Alangkarn Theatre stopped performances and closed to tourists around 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the business remains shut, the site still holds substantial property and is watched by security staff, but the grounds are too large to patrol completely. He said thieves had been cutting and removing cable and other items almost every night, causing several million baht in damage, and that several suspects had been arrested in earlier cases.
This time, he said, CCTV captured the men inside the theatre, allowing him and police to plan the ambush that led to the two arrests and the seizure of the stolen cable and tools.