The Crime Suppression Division arrested a man hired to shave his head and wear monk robes, impersonating an abbot of a famous temple. He fraudulently opened bank accounts and secretly transferred money from existing accounts to new ones, causing losses exceeding 1.8 million baht in total funds.
On 27 Dec 2025 GMT+7, Pol. Maj. Gen. Phatthanasak Bupphasuwan, Commander of the Crime Suppression Division, ordered Pol. Col. Thanawat Hinyokhin, Superintendent of Division 5, and officers Pol. Lt. Col. Kitibodin Kimsia, Pol. Sgt. Maj. Chankan Burapaka, Pol. Lt. Thanonchot Phutthachong, Pol. Lt. Nithon Prachankanjana, and Pol. Lt. Rewat Huaikhongthong to conduct an arrest.
They arrested Manop, 54, under a warrant from the Criminal Court No. 1472/2019 dated 24 Sep 2019, on charges including conspiracy to commit fraud, conspiracy to forge and use forged documents, conspiracy to steal property, conspiracy to misuse electronic cards likely causing damage to others or the public, and conspiracy to fraudulently input false data into computer systems likely causing public harm. The arrest took place in Village 1, Thung Khrapang Hom Subdistrict, Kamphaeng Saen District, Nakhon Pathom.
The Crime Suppression Division received a report from a bank about a group of fraudsters who hired Manop to shave his head and eyebrows and wear monk robes to impersonate abbots in Nakhon Pathom and Suphan Buri provinces. They targeted abbots who had bank savings ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of baht. They took photos of Manop to create forged monk identity documents, which they used to open new bank accounts by falsely claiming the original passbooks were lost. Bank officials were deceived into approving these new accounts.
After obtaining the new accounts, the criminals transferred funds from the abbots’ legitimate accounts into the new accounts opened by Manop impersonating the abbots. They quickly withdrew all the money in cash, emptying the accounts and causing total losses exceeding 1.8 million baht.
During questioning, Manop admitted he was working as a water filter salesman at the time but sales were poor and he lacked money. He was recruited by two accomplices to impersonate monks and open bank accounts for payment of 20,000 baht. Afterward, he fled and hid while working odd jobs for over 10 years until the Crime Suppression Division arrested him. He was handed over to investigators in Division 5 for legal proceedings.