A carjacking monk high on drugs drags police on high-speed chase

A carjacking monk high on drugs stole two cars and led police officers on a high-speed chase in the Mae Sot district in the northern province of Tak yesterday.

In yet another day of shame for the Buddhist faith, the incident initially took place at Bor Luke Rang Temple in the Mae Sot district of Tak.

The carjacking monk was reported to be a Thai man named Anip-phalo or Boy. The 34 year old lived in a temple on a mountain in the Isaan province of Ubon Ratchathani for many years but moved to the Bor Luke Rang Temple four days before the TWOKING incidents took place.

According to Khaosod, Boy stole a Nissan Navara pickup from someone who visited the temple. The owner of the car and another monk from the temple set off on a 20 kilometers’ pursuit of the high-speeding Boy racer but couldn’t catch him.

Boy then pulled up in front of a used car showroom, jumped out of the stolen pickup and stole another car, a purple Hyundai sedan. The double carjacker then drove into a community area, which was crowded with people, and tried to hide from the police.

Locals spotted him and reported his location to the police. Boy then tried to escape by driving into a crowd, endangering the lives of dozens of people.

Boy’s carjacking journey finally came to an end when he hit a pickup at the red traffic light at Mae Sot Hospital Intersection. Police quickly apprehended the monk and disarmed him of a knife, a document proving he was a monk, and 1,000 baht in his bag.

Boy was made to take a drug test which turned out positive.

The two car owners were happy to get their cars back and did not file complaints against the monk.

Boy is expected to be charged under Section 366 of the Criminal Law: stealing another person’s property. The penalty will be imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to 6,000 baht. He also used drugs, so he will be punished according to the types of drugs stated in the Narcotics Act.

This is not the first carjacking incident involving a shameless monk. In September, a monk stole a second-hand car in the central province of Saraburi.