Hua Hin Tourist Police have arrested a man impersonating a monk after he was caught soliciting donations using temple envelopes and a fraudulent certification letter.
The arrest took place at 16:00 on 13 August 2024, led by Pol. Col. Kampanat Na Wichai, Superintendent of Hua Hin Police Station, in collaboration with Pol. Lt. Col. Worapot Pholaniwong, Deputy Superintendent 1, Division 3, Tourist Police, and Pol. Lt. Col. Anatchai Konthong, Superintendent of Tourist Police Station 2, Division 1, Tourist Police Division 3. The suspect, identified as Mr. Wichai (surname withheld), 29, is a resident of Nakhon Sawan Province.
Mr. Wichai has been charged with fraud and the unauthorised use of religious symbols, including wearing a monk’s robe, with the intent to deceive others into believing he was a monk. Among the items seized were a monk’s robe, outer robe, undergarment, monk’s belt, temple donation envelopes, and a certification letter purportedly from a monastery in Sam Roi Yot District.
According to police, Mr. Wichai disguised himself as a monk and approached the Hua Hin Tourist Police Station, where he solicited donations, claiming the funds were intended for building a bathroom and covering electricity costs at the monastery. Officers at the station contributed 430 baht to the cause.
However, upon verification with the monastery, it was discovered that no such donation drive had been organised. Around the same time, Hua Hin Police Station received a report about a monk soliciting donations near Somtawil School in Hua Hin. An investigation revealed that the individual was the same person who had earlier solicited donations at the Tourist Police Station.
Mr. Wichai was subsequently detained for questioning, where he admitted that he was not a monk and had used the disguise to solicit donations more easily. He also confessed to receiving substantial amounts of money before his arrest.
The suspect has been handed over to investigators at Hua Hin Police Station, where legal proceedings are underway.