Thieves steal copper wires from Thai temple mortuary

Thieves struck again at Wat Pa Klong Bang Phuttharam, Udonthani, stealing copper wires and damaging the cooling system for the mortuary. The incident occurred yesterday at 7.30pm, causing significant distress among the locals.

Police officers, along with the temple committee and locals, inspected the crime scene. They discovered that the thieves had used a hard object to pry open the back window of the mortuary pavilion.

Once inside, they cut the electrical wires to extract the copper and stole the air conditioner’s compressor unit used to cool the mortuary. The initial estimate of the damage is around 40,000 baht (US$1,100).

Por, a 35 year old temple benefactor, recounted that she had gone out to collect bamboo shoots in the evening and noticed something unusual near the mortuary pavilion, reported KhaoSod.

Upon closer inspection, she saw the window was open, and inside, the electrical wires and cooling system were damaged. She immediately informed the temple’s headman, who then called the police.

“These thieves have no fear of sin or ghosts. They even dared to steal the air conditioner’s compressor from the mortuary. This is the second time this has happened. The villagers had to buy a new cooling system for the mortuary and had only used it twice before it was stolen again.

“The thieves seem to know when new equipment is bought and come back to steal it. They are clever, turning off the circuit breaker and cutting the wires all over the pavilion, even climbing up the ceiling to cut more wires. We hope the police catch them soon.”

In related news, a temple theft at a prominent Ratchaburi chapel bore witness to thieves taking off with a donation box worth 8,000 baht at the revered Black and White Shrine. The temple’s caretaker on July 2, pleaded for the thefts, which have occurred four times now, to stop.