Disgraced Wat Rai Khing abbot disrobed over B300m embezzlement
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Disgraced Wat Rai Khing abbot disrobed over B300m embezzlement

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Phra Thamma Wachiranuwat, 70, disgraced abbot of Wat Rai Khing in Nakhon Pathom, wears a white cloth after he was disrobed on Thursday night for allegedly embezzling 300 million baht from temple funds to gamble online. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)
Phra Thamma Wachiranuwat, 70, disgraced abbot of Wat Rai Khing in Nakhon Pathom, wears a white cloth after he was disrobed on Thursday night for allegedly embezzling 300 million baht from temple funds to gamble online. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)

Phra Thamma Wachiranuwat, disgraced abbot of Wat Rai Khing in Thailand's Nakhon Pathom province, has been disrobed for allegedly embezzling 300 million baht from temple funds to gamble online while police widen the investigation to find more evidence about gambling websites and those involved.

The 70-year-old abbot of the famous Buddhist temple officially disrobed from the monkhood in front of a Buddhist statue at 8.42pm on Thursday in the presence of members of the media.

Phra Thamma Wachiranuwat, known as "Chao Khun Yaem", turned himself in to Bangkok police on Thursday as the officers were about to seek a warrant for his arrest for allegedly embezzling money from the temple.

During police questioning, the former abbot — whose layman name is Yaem Inkrungkao — admitted to transferring hundreds of millions of baht in 2021 to a second suspect, a close female associate.

The police investigation revealed that funds had been moved from the temple’s bank account to his personal account, and subsequently to the woman’s account. She is suspected of being involved in operating gambling websites.

On Friday, Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat Pankaew, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB), led a search operation at Wat Rai Khing, expanding the probe to uncover further evidence of financial links to gambling platforms.

Officers inspected four locations — three within the temple grounds and one outside. Their primary focus was the monastic residence of the former abbot, who also served as governor of Ecclesiastical Region 14. The temple’s assistant abbot assisted police in accessing the former abbot’s living quarters during the search.

Police on Friday searched the monastic living quarters of Phra Thamma Wachiranuwat, abbot of Wat Rak Khing in Nakhon Pathom. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)

Police on Friday searched the monastic living quarters of Phra Thamma Wachiranuwat, abbot of Wat Rai Khing in Nakhon Pathom. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)

They seized a computer, mobile phones and other electronic devices and some documents for examination.

Pol Maj Gen Charoonkiat said the search aimed to find clues about the money trail to other bank accounts and police would summon individuals who held those accounts for questioning. The officers would focus on money transactions linked to gambling websites.

It was reported that the former abbot had asked a fellow monk to transfer money to the close female associate to add credit to a gambling website. Cybercrime police found that at least 31 million baht went into the woman’s account, while the fellow monk involved in the alleged embezzlement had vanished.

On Thursday, police arrested Aranyawan Wangthapan, 28, in connection with the case. Ms Aranyawan was previously arrested last year for alleged involvement with the Lagalaxy911 gambling website and was later released on bail.

The woman had been linked to three firms that had allegedly laundered money through this gambling website. The three firms had more than 800 million baht in circulation over the past five months, according to police.

During questioning, Ms Aranyawan admitted she had known the former abbot of Wat Rai Khing since she studied at Wat Rai Khing School, police said. She had first borrowed 40 million baht from him for investment in 2021. Since then she had frequently contacted him via phone and video calls.

Police arrest Aranyawan Wangthapan, 28, a female associate of the abbot of Wat Rak Khing, in Pattaya on Thursday.  (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)

Police arrest Aranyawan Wangthapan, 28, a female associate of the abbot of Wat Rai Khing, in Pattaya on Thursday. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)

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