Holland Village bank robbery

Suspect had $27k on him when arrested: Thai police

Canadian also had notebook with escape plan and same instruction given to S'pore teller

Above: Roach, 27, was arrested at a hostel in Bangkok on Sunday, after a two-day manhunt by the Thai police. Right: Thai deputy national police chief Wuthi Liptapallop, with a copy of a Straits Times report about last Thursday's bank robbery, at a ne
Thai deputy national police chief Wuthi Liptapallop, with a copy of a Straits Times report about last Thursday's bank robbery, at a news conference at Bangkok's immigration detention centre yesterday. "All info is there," he said, referring to the ST report. PHOTO: REUTERS
Above: Roach, 27, was arrested at a hostel in Bangkok on Sunday, after a two-day manhunt by the Thai police. Right: Thai deputy national police chief Wuthi Liptapallop, with a copy of a Straits Times report about last Thursday's bank robbery, at a ne
Roach, 27, was arrested at a hostel in Bangkok on Sunday, after a two-day manhunt by the Thai police. PHOTO: REUTERS

When Singapore bank robbery suspect David James Roach was arrested in Bangkok, he had on him 700,000 baht (S$27,000) and a notebook containing a detailed escape plan that included stopovers in Chiang Mai and Dubai, say the Thai police.

Scrawled in the notebook was the same instruction written on a piece of paper and handed to a bank teller at the Standard Chartered Bank branch in Holland Village during last Thursday's robbery.

The Thai police verified the content of the note with their Singapore counterparts, the deputy commander of Thailand's tourist police, Colonel Nithithorn Chintakanont, told reporters in Bangkok yesterday.

Although never made public officially, the instruction, as reported by Shin Min Daily News, was: "This is a robbery, I have a weapon, give me money, don't call police."

Afraid that the robber might use his weapon, the female teller handed over about $30,000 and alerted the police afterwards.

Roach, 27, was arrested at Boxpackers Hostel in Bangkok's Ratchathewi district on Sunday, after a two-day manhunt by the Thai police, who were alerted by the Singapore authorities. The Canadian arrived in Bangkok on an AirAsia flight on Thursday evening and took a cab to the Central World mall. From there, he walked into a cluster of hostels and massage parlours near popular electronics mall Pantip Plaza.

"He tried to find a hotel where many people stayed," said Col Nithithorn, adding that the suspect had also lost a considerable amount of weight and looked "quite different" from his passport photo.

He has been held at an immigration detention centre since his right to stay in the country was cancelled after the Thai police received an arrest warrant from Singapore.

Immigration police chief Nathathorn Prousoontorn said it is possible for him to be extradited to Singapore, even if both countries do not have an extradition treaty. But much will depend on how fast Singapore can send information to Thailand - and how strong it is - to back up its case. This will then be forwarded to a Thai court for deliberation.

Under Thai immigration law, an immigration offender can be detained for up to seven days, after which each 12-day detention period has to be approved by a court.

If Roach is deported, he will be sent to Canada, and Singapore will have to pursue the case with the Canadian authorities. Singapore has no extradition treaty with Canada.

A Singapore Police Force statement on Monday said: "The Singapore authorities are currently engaging our counterparts in Thailand to see whether the suspect can be released into our custody." Asked yesterday if the Canadian authorities have been informed of the arrest warrant, a Singapore police spokesman declined to comment.

Shin Min, which spoke to Roach's mother in Canada, yesterday quoted her as saying they had not seen each other since August last year.

"His father and I thought that he had been travelling and working all this time," she said. "Please tell him, we want to see him. We are worried, and we love him."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 14, 2016, with the headline Suspect had $27k on him when arrested: Thai police. Subscribe