A former monk and his nephew have been caught in Kanchanaburi and Suphan Buri provinces, respectively, on separate rape cases, with the former allegedly attacking an elderly woman while in monkhood and the latter allegedly raping a minor.
Thonglor Thaweebut, 40, a former monk, was apprehended by a team of Crime Suppression Division police at a cassava plantation in tambon Sri Mongkhol, Sai Yok district, Kanchanaburi province, on Thursday.
The team also arrested Anon Thaweebut, 22, a nephew of Mr Thonglor, on rape charges at a rented house in nearby Dan Chang district of Suphan Buri province, Pol Maj Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej, CSD commander, said on Friday.
The suspect was wanted on an arrest warrant issued by the Kanchanaburi provincial court for raping a girl aged not more than 15, depriving the girl of parental care and trespassing a house at night.
Pol Col Nethi Wongkularp, superintendent of the sub-division 5 under the CSD, said the arrest of the ex-monk came after local police in Khlong Thom district of Krabi received a complaint from a 78-year-old woman that a monk at Wat Khuan Mai in the district had allegedly kidnapped her with a knife to her throat while she was collecting fruit near the temple in the evening of March 13.
The monk then dragged her his living quarters at the temple, where he allegedly raped her, according to the complaint.
Police began the investigation and found that the accused monk was Phra Thonglor Thaweebut, who had been ordained at another temple and then moved to Wat Khuan Mai about 10 days before the alleged rape took place. On the day the alleged crime took place, he was drunk.
CSD later tracked down the monk and found that he had fled to take refuge in Ban Nong Pladuk village in Sai Yok district. After the alleged rape, he left the monkhood and worked as a hired hand at a cassava plantation in Sai Yok, where he was caught on Thursday, said Pol Col Nethi, who led the police operation.
Mr Thonglor allegedly confessed to the crime.
Pol Col Nethi said CSD police also arrested Mr Anon, Mr Thonglor’s nephew and a runaway rape suspect, as the ex-monk fled to stay at his nephew's house.
A criminal record showed that Mr Anon was wanted for raping a girl aged not more than 15 in Huay Krachao district, Kanchanaburi.
The 22-year-old suspect confessed to having raped the girl, 14, who was in her house with her two young siblings while their parents went to work at a sugarcane plantation in another village.
Mr Anon said he entered the victim’s house and dragged her to her bedroom, where he allegedly raped her. He later moved to work at a sugar factory in Dan Chang district of Suphan Buri, where he was caught.
CSD police handed Mr Thonglor to Khlong Khom police while his nephew was sent to to Huay Krachao police for legal action.
Suspect Anon Thaweebut, 22, a nephew of runaway rape suspect and ex-monk Thonglor Thaweebut, is arrested on the same day on a separate rape case. (Photo supplied by Wassayos Ngamkham)