Thai abbot loses amulets worth over 50 million baht to scammers
A Thai abbot at Pak Khlong Temple in the western province of Phetchaburi lost valuable amulets worth 50 million baht to two scammers.
The 84 year old abbot, Sophiwacharachote, filed a theft report at Ban Laem Police Station on February 19 after two Thai men stole 15 Buddhist amulets, 2,500 baht in cash, and important documents from him. The stolen amulets alone were valued at over 50 million baht.
The abbot recounted the incident to the police that two Thai men arrived at the temple on a motorcycle, a red Honda Click. One of them, a man aged between 25 and 30 years old, approached the abbot while the other waited on the motorcycle.
The man who came to talk to the abbot wore a white and blue striped shirt, a face mask, and a black cap. He posed as a herb seller and offered the abbot some herbal spray. The man asked the abbot to try it on and applied it to the abbot’s hands and face
The man seized the opportunity when the abbot closed his eyes to grab the bag and escaped from the temple on the motorcycle. The abbot said the entire theft took only about two minutes.
After reviewing security cameras inside the temple, officers managed to identify one of the suspects as 46 year old Apinan “Nueng” Sibunyarak. They raided Apinan’s house yesterday, February 21, but he was not present there.
During the raid, officers seized some amulets found at the house, and the abbot confirmed that they belonged to him. Officers believed that Apinan might have the remaining amulets on him or already sold some of them. Police reported they would issue a warrant for his arrest and conduct further investigations to identify another suspect.
President of the Phetchaburi Amulet Club, Ekkachai Angkinanta, checked the list of the stolen amulets and told MGR Online that each one was worth over 1 million baht. Some of them could be worth up to 50 million baht each if they remained in good condition.
Ekkachai assessed the damage, stating that it was far beyond 50 million baht. Notable amulets included the Luang Por Daeng silver coin from Khao Bandai It Temple valued at 5 to 15 million baht, Luang Por Thong Suk from Tanote Luang Temple at 3 to 10 million baht, and Luang Pu Kaew (closing two eyes) at 25 to 50 million baht.
