Thai man forces teen to rob temple for money to bail out wife

A Thai man in the central province of Suphan Buri threatened a 15 year old boy with a knife, forcing him to rob a temple to secure money to bail his wife out of jail.

Officers from Mueang Suphan Buri Police Station arrested the Thai suspect, identified only as Beer, near the provincial court today, November 8. Police seized a motorcycle, a knife, a temple donation box, and 350 baht in cash from Beer.

Beer was apprehended for a theft at Suwannaphum Temple, which occurred earlier in the day. According to a report in Daily News, Beer approached another temple, Chaiyanawat Temple, where he confronted a 15 year old boy named Nueng, who was attending a funeral.

Beer threatened Nueng with a knife, ordering him to drive his motorcycle to Suwannaphum Temple. Once there, Beer got off the vehicle, grabbed the donation box, and instructed the teenager to take him away from the scene.

It is believed that Beer abandoned the teenager midway before heading towards the Suphan Buri Provincial Court. He stopped near the court to retrieve money from the donation box but found only 350 baht.

Police reported that Beer gave confused statements during questioning and repeatedly shouted to express his love for his wife. Officers later conducted a test, which confirmed he was under the influence of methamphetamine, also known as Yaba.

Officers waited until Beer sobered up and questioned him again. He then confessed to the theft, claiming he wanted money to bail his wife out of the provincial court, as she had been previously arrested on drug charges and he lacked sufficient funds to secure her bail.

Beer now faces four charges:

• Section 335 of the Criminal Law: conspiring to commit theft using a vehicle to facilitate the crime. The penalty is imprisonment of one to five years and a fine of 20,000 to 100,000 baht.
• Section 371 of the Criminal Law: carrying a weapon in a public place without a valid reason. The penalty is a fine of up to 100 baht, and the weapon will be confiscated.
• Section 162 of the Narcotics Control Act: using a Category 1 drug (methamphetamine). The penalty is imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
• Section 317 of the Criminal Law: taking a child under 15 years of age away from their parents. The penalty is imprisonment of three to 15 years and a fine of 6,000 to 30,000 baht.

Beer was also found to have multiple outstanding arrest warrants for embezzlement, theft, drunk driving, and drug use, filed at Samchuk Police Station in the province.