Grave concerns: Skull thief puts a new spin on black magic

Police are searching for a thief responsible for stealing 27 skulls from a cemetery in Chon Buri. Locals suspect the theft is connected to black magic rituals and the creation of amulets.

Prawate Swatsri, a 39 year old rescuer from the Sawang Tung Huiang Foundation, was the first person to discover the shocking theft at a cemetery on Panat Nikhom-Nong Samed Road in the Panat Nikhom district of Chon Buri on Tuesday, October 22.

Prawate reported the theft to Panat Nikhom Police Station and shared details of the incident with Matichon. He explained that he was called to investigate a mysterious car parked in the middle of the cemetery. When he arrived, however, there was no vehicle present.

While searching the area, Prawate came across an unusually opened grave. The concrete lids of several graves were broken, and footprints were found nearby.

He immediately informed the cemetery caretaker, prompting a thorough investigation of each grave. Together, they discovered that 15 skulls were missing, raising suspicions about the motive behind the theft.

Relatives of the deceased whose skulls disappeared arrived at the scene, with some expressing their grief over the loss. Many locals believe the thief stole the skulls for use in rituals or to create a black magic amulet known as Phra Nang. This amulet is made from the forehead bone or the central bone of the human skull.

Some Thai people believe that Phra Nang can offer protection against danger or evil spirits, and it is also thought to bring luck and immortality to its owner.

Prawate added that a similar incident occurred at another nearby cemetery, where 12 skulls were previously stolen. This brings the total number of missing skulls to 27.

Officers at Panat Nikhom Police Station are reviewing CCTV footage from around the two cemeteries in an effort to identify the thief.

In a related report from 2018, the bodies of 10 infants, aged between two to five months, went missing from a cemetery in the eastern province of Rayong. Locals in that area suspected that migrant workers stole the bodies for use in black magic rituals.