Two Chinese suspects arrested at airport over luxury house thefts in Thailand

Two Chinese suspects were arrested at an airport over an alleged burglary spree at a luxury housing estate in Thailand.

Lebao Jiang and Feixing Hong, both 49, allegedly broke into upmarket homes on the outskirts of Bangkok while the homeowners were away on holiday.

The pair reportedly hired Grab taxis to take them to the estate before they were caught on CCTV raiding vacant houses in April.

Footage shows the balaclava-wearing suspects climbing over a gate and entering an empty property.

They allegedly escaped with gold necklaces, cash and designer handbags worth millions of baht before selling the loot in Pattaya and fleeing back to China on April 14.

Police later identified the suspects through hotel records and other evidence before obtaining arrest warrants and coordinating with Immigration Police. They also seized items believed to have been used in the crimes, including clothing, a bag, shoes, a balaclava and gloves.

Authorities were alerted when the suspects re-entered Thailand through the Suvarnabhumi International Airport near Bangkok, Thailand, on July 28.

Police arrested the two men and charged them with 'jointly committing theft in a dwelling by damaging barriers intended to protect people or property, entering through a passage not intended for human access, concealing their faces to avoid identification, and committing the offence together at night'.

A third suspect, Wenhua Chen, remains at large.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Chattawat Siribenjasak said investigators believe the three men travelled to Thailand during the long holiday specifically to carry out the burglaries.

He said: 'They stayed in a hotel in the Don Mueang area of ​​Bangkok and used the Grab app to travel to a luxury housing estate in Bang Tanai Subdistrict.

'They committed burglaries in four houses and sold the stolen items in Pattaya, Chonburi on April 12. After selling the goods, they returned to China on April 14.'

The police boss said the suspects denied all charges.

He added: ‘We will arrange for an interpreter to conduct a detailed interview tomorrow.

‘The stolen property mainly consisted of gold necklaces, cash and luxury brand handbags, with losses estimated at around one million baht in each burglary.'