A Thai abbot denied staging a 23 million baht theft, maintaining his innocence, despite police discovering that he covered the lenses of security cameras in his office with paper.
The abbot of Mueang Temple in Bangkok, 78 year old Phra Ratchawatchara Phattanatorn, reported the loss of 10 million baht in cash and nearly 13 million baht in gold bars to Phetchakasem Police Station on Tuesday, July 1. He claimed the loss involved his personal fortune, separate from the temple’s assets.
The abbot explained that he had saved money over 40 years in monkhood, which was deposited in a bank account under his name. He recently asked two men, Thawatchai Khamsen and Thinnakorn Tonkaew, to take him to a bank to withdraw 10 million baht.
He stated that he intended to make a merit on his upcoming birthday by donating to underprivileged children. Additionally, he planned to use part of the money for ongoing temple renovations and to purchase more gold bars for what he described as a secure retirement.
According to the abbot, the cash and gold bars were stored in his office at the temple. He admitted he had not used the safe available in the room, explaining that he wished to keep his assets separate from temple property.
Police investigated the office in search of evidence that could lead to the culprits. However, when reviewing footage from the office’s CCTV system, they found that all cameras were covered with paper and recorded nothing.
The abbot confessed to covering the cameras himself, claiming he changed his robes in the office daily and did not want explicit footage to leak. He said he only removed the coverings when he left the temple to travel abroad.
Officers have identified five individuals, all close to the abbot and frequent visitors to the temple, as suspects, but no evidence has yet been found to link them to the theft.
Members of the public, as well as several monks at the temple, have questioned the abbot’s unexplained wealth and are calling for a thorough investigation.
One monk told Thai PBS that the temple received substantial donations from visitors but financial transactions were never disclosed to other monks. The abbot was solely responsible for managing all the money.
The case is now under investigation by the Anti-Corruption Division and the National Office of Buddhism, both for the theft and the temple’s financial affairs.
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