Elderly monk at Buriram temple tricked by imposter loses 180,000 baht
An 82 year old resident monk at a temple in Thailand’s Buriram was reportedly duped by a conman impersonating a monk, leading to the theft of 180,000 baht (US$5,051) from the temple. Villagers from Butapuang, Mueang district yesterday called for the police to track down the culprit. At around 1pm Yesterday, the imposter paid a visit to the temple where the resident monk resides.
The imposter, a man around 50 years old with a missing tooth and dark complexion, began the conversation by enquiring about security cameras in the area. To that question, the resident monk responded negatively. The fake monk then claimed that the air conditioner in the living quarters was defective, thus diverting the monk’s attention. He then asked for a white envelope, claiming he was going to make a donation to the temple. When the resident monk discovered that 180,000 baht was missing, he immediately alerted the rest of the temple monks. It was believed that the theft was committed by the imposter, reported KhaoSod.
A 47 year old novice monk, a witness to the entire event, revealed that the imposter stayed in the temple until 4pm before leaving in a saloon car. The resident monk has since reported the case to the Thaworn Police Station.
The resident monk added…
“Let this be a warning to monks, especially those who are elder. Keep your surroundings watched over by caretakers or villagers, as there are various forms of deceit practised by criminals.”
Three weeks ago, a man disguised as a monk stole over 20 Buddhist monks’ robes worth 20,000 baht from Chong Lom temple in Samut Sakhon province. The imposter claimed to be the abbot of the temple and loaded the stolen items into a white Isuzu D-Max pick-up truck with Bangkok registration, as captured on CCTV.
A man dressed as a monk entered the Chong Lom temple, claiming to be the abbot of the temple. He then proceeded to steal over 20 sets of Buddhist monks’ robes, worth approximately 20,000 baht. To read more click HERE.
