Police in Phuket have arrested two men, suspected of using slingshots to damage a number of buses in the south of Phuket. The Phuket Express reports that the arrests follow a report filed by the bus company, complaining that two buses parked at a petrol station in Rawai had been deliberately damaged.
Both buses had their windows broken olice determining the damage had been caused by slingshots. The Phuket Provincial Court issued an arrest warrant for the perpetrators on Monday, November 13, and by the following day, officers had two men in custody.
The suspects have been named only as 34 year old Mr Noon and 29 year old Mr Sarayut, both from the southern province of Pattani. The men were arrested at a house and a bus parking area in Soi Lueang Por Kluem, in the Wichit district.
At the time of the arrests, officers confiscated two slingshots and 72 iron balls. According to the report, the suspects have confessed to damaging a total of 10 buses on the island, claiming they were hired to do so. The men admit to using slingshots to cause deliberate damage to the vehicles between October 26 and November 11.
The suspects say they were paid 1,000 baht per bus, but did not provide the name of who was paying them or any further information. It’s understood the damaged buses were from other provinces and had been hired to transport passengers in Phuket as they were cheaper than Phuket buses.
Both men face charges of damaging public vehicles, causing harm to others, and causing property damage. The financial cost of the damage to the buses has not been publicly confirmed, according to the report.
SOURCE: The Phuket Express
