Thai man beset by Black Magic faces jail for stealing holy relic

A Thai druggie obsessed with Black Magic faces five years in jail and a 100,000 baht fine after stealing a holy statue from some military premises.

Habitual drug taker Thongchai Saengtrakarn was arrested yesterday after stealing the holy statute from the entrance of the Defence Technology Institute in Nontha Buri province near Bangkok on Thursday, July 28.

The 38 year old grabbed the object and loaded it onto his scooter before making a quick getaway.

The holy object that was stolen is called Phraya Kotchasri Ratchaseni Pitak. It is made of metal and resembles a mystical animal. It has the body of a lion and the head of an elephant with a trunk and two ivory tusks. The mythical creature is a symbol of the Defence Ministry with statutes located on the premises of every office throughout the kingdom.

The statute was located in front of the Defence Technology Institute in Pak Kret District of Nontha Buri but disappeared on the night of July 28.

Commander of the Investigation Division Provincial Police Region 1, Wasan Techa-akkarakasem, reported that the police checked security cameras nearby the shrine and saw the thief escaping the scene on a scooter.

Thongchai disappeared down Chok Chai 4 Road in Bangkok, but the officers managed to track the vehicle’s registration plate and he was finally arrested at his home on Chok Chai 4 road.

Thongchai confessed that he saw the statue when visiting his girlfriend’s house near the institute. He said he stole it because Thailand had fallen on hard times and he needed to hold a ceremony and pray for the country.

Thongchai added he performed the ceremony at home and then hid the statue near his house after he finished.

Police recovered the metal relic and reported that it was covered with drops of melting candles, backing Thongchai’s ceremonial claim. They added that the left hand ivory tusk was missing and the left hind leg featured a deep cut.

The police made it public that Thongchai had been arrested for drug crimes on four separate occasions between 2015 to 2017, and that his obsession with the occult and Black Magic estranged him from his family.

The police added that they believed Thongchai was under the influence of drugs while under questioning because he couldn’t answer any routine questions.

Thongchai was charged with using a vehicle to commit theft. He could face a penalty of one to five years in jail and a fine from 20,000 to 100,000 baht.

SOURCE: Thairath