Monk held on suspicion of stealing gold-plated top knot of Buddha statue

Police in Nong Khai province have arrested a monk suspected of stealing the gold-plated top knot of the main Buddha statue in the chapel of Hai Sok Temple in Muang district on May 19.

The theft came to light when a Buddhist follower visited the temple to pay respect to the main Buddha statue on Tuesday and discovered that the top knot of the statue was missing. The keeper of the temple was alerted and a complaint was filed with the Muang district police.

Forensic officers checked the chapel and CCTV footage seeking clues and they found some fingerprints on the head of the statue. All monks, novices and workers were then fingerprinted by the police.

One monk, identified as Marut, who entered monkhood at the temple about six months ago, did not show up for fingerprinting. He was reported to have left the temple in a pickup truck, which was subsequently found abandoned at the provincial bus terminal.

A search was launched and the missing monk was eventually located at a temple in Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province. Armed with a warrant, Nong Khai police went to the temple yesterday and managed to arrest Marut.

Marut, has denied that he stole the item in question, but admitted that he drove the temple’s vehicle to the bus terminal. Police checked his bank and found 150,000 baht deposited in his account.