Chiang Mai temple thief performs wai then steals silver tray
Police reviewed CCTV footage showing a man performing a wai gesture, as if asking forgiveness, before stealing a silver donation tray from a Chiang Mai temple last month and fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.
The incident occurred at Wat Daraphimook in Don Kaeo subdistrict, Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai, at around 1.40pm on January 28. The stolen item was a high‑purity silver tray weighing about 150 grams and valued at nearly 50,000 baht.
CCTV footage from within the temple shows the suspect arriving on a blue and black motorcycle and parking in the temple courtyard. He was seen raising his hands in a wai before walking into the pavilion housing a statue of Princess Dara Rasmi.
The man then picked up the silver tray, which had been placed beside the statue, carried it to another area near the Phra Chao Than Jai shrine, removed the flower garlands from the tray, and rode away with it.
Following the incident, the temple committee filed a police report at Mae Rim Police Station, requesting officers to track down the suspect.
Today, February 3, Somkiat Napom, assistant village headman of Bo Pu village, led reporters to the scene and explained the background surrounding the missing tray.
He said that on January 26, a group of visitors from Bangkok had travelled to the temple to make merit and pay respects to Princess Dara Rasmi. For the occasion, the temple brought out the silver tray, which is normally kept securely in the abbot’s quarters and only used during important ceremonies. The tray was used to hold flower garlands for worshippers to offer during prayers.
After the ceremony concluded, it is believed that monks or novices may have forgotten to return the tray to storage, leaving it beside the statue.
Later on January 28, monks attempted to retrieve the tray and discovered it was missing. A review of CCTV footage then revealed the theft. Temple representatives believe the suspect may have surveyed the area in advance and known the item was valuable.
The abbot of Wat Daraphimook, Phra Kru Suwanchaiyathet, said the temple and surrounding village had never previously experienced theft. He urged the suspect to repent and return the tray, warning that stealing from a temple is a grave sin.
As of now, the suspect is still nowhere to be seen, and police are continuing their investigation, reported CH7 News.
In similar news, police in Nong Suea arrested a 42 year old man for allegedly breaking into donation boxes at a local temple and stealing more than 5,000 baht. CCTV footage showed the perpetrator arriving in a taxi, breaking open the boxes, and taking an unspecified amount of money.
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