Four British men have been arrested in Thailand after allegedly holding up an American lawyer at gunpoint to steal his luxury Audemars Piguet watch. Hussain Meer, 26, Mir Wayne Carew, 25, Yanne Sarkawt, 25, and Malique Kai Walters, 27, are accused of knocking Ibrahim Iyun to the ground before jumping out of an SUV in Phuket on Thursday. Walters has also confirmed to have featured in hit UK drama Top Boy as a thug named Tunde, as well as being a GRM Daily established rapper who goes by the name 'Bookey'.

The robbers allegedly brandished a gun and knife at the shocked victim and tore his $75,000 gold watch from his wrist before fleeing the scene. Disturbing video captures a blue Ford Everest ramming into Ibrahim’s motorcycle, sending him sliding onto the wet road. Two men then leave the vehicle and snatch the costly timepiece while threatening him with the weapons. Rapper, Walters, appears to refer to this lifestyle in his songs, with one line in a song titled 'Bando' saying "I'll pull up and teef man's watch".

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Police arrested the four British nationals later that evening and suspect they are professional watch thieves who targeted the lawyer after spotting him in the luxury resort area. Police Major General Sinlert Sukum, head of Phuket Provincial Police, said: “As of now, there are four suspects. We are interrogating them to determine whether other persons were involved.

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“They arrived in Thailand at different times as tourists. We are investigating their movements and have already located all vehicles used in the crime as well as other evidence.

“They were charged with jointly committing robbery. We are currently checking their backgrounds. So far, we have not found any similar incidents committed by them in other areas.

“All four of them are from the same country, but they did not confirm whether they knew each other before coming here or if they only met in Thailand.”

The American lawyer, who lives in Geneva, Switzerland, said he was riding home from the Boat Avenue mall when he was attacked.

He said: “I had never seen any one of these people before in my life. This just comes to show that foreigners who are criminals should not be welcome in Thailand.”

“Unfortunately these foreigners come to Thailand to attack Thai people, to attack the tourists, and to ruin the reputation of Thailand, but Thai people are stronger than this,” he added.

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He also praised police for their “swift and efficient” response, as officers arrested the suspects and recovered his stolen watch within 24 hours. Eyewitness Somphum Nopwankaew, who was driving behind the SUV, said: “The victim ran up to me. I said I had footage of the entire incident, and he told me what was going on. I helped him as much as I could and took him to the police station.

“I saw both a gun and a knife used to threaten him. It was the first time I’d seen such an attack. I was left shaking too.”

Police from the Sakhu and Thalang stations later found the Ford Everest abandoned in a rubber plantation. CCTV reportedly showed a white car picking the suspects up. Authorities are still investigating whether others were involved in the crime. Phuket, once a pristine tourist destination, has faced growing criticism over over tourism as the Thai government pushes visa-free travel to boost the economy after the pandemic.

Frustrated locals argue the influx has attracted “low-quality” visitors from Russia, India and Australia. There are also rising concerns that the island is turning into a hub of criminality, with reports of street fights and organised gangs muscling into local businesses.