Samut Prakan police have arrested the man who smashed the donation box at Wat Mai Bang Plakod. They traced clues from surveillance cameras and apprehended a 32-year-old man at his home in Phra Pradaeng District, Samut Prakan Province. He claimed he committed the crime to get money to pay off debts from World Cup football gambling losses, as he had lost and had no money to pay.
At 14:00 on 19 July 2026, Police Lieutenant Colonel Prayoon Pattulee, Deputy Superintendent of Investigation at Phra Samut Chedi Police Station, along with Police Lieutenant Colonel Weerapon Boonnak, Head of Investigation, and other investigators arrested 32-year-old Navin Chuenchob, a resident of Bang Ya Praek Subdistrict, Phra Pradaeng District, Samut Prakan Province. They seized evidence including a black Honda Scoopy-i motorcycle, license plate 1 ก ผ 2464 Bangkok, the outfit worn during the crime, and four sacred coins and amulets. The arrest took place at a residence in Bang Ya Praek Subdistrict, Phra Pradaeng District, Samut Prakan.
On 6 July 2026 at 13:00, Phattharawut Mahanak, sacristan of Wat Mai Bang Plakod, Moo 5, Nai Khlong Bang Plakod Subdistrict, Phra Samut Chedi District, Samut Prakan, filed a report that a suspect had broken into the Sangha offering pavilion, smashing the donation box and forcing open the sacred object vending cabinet. At the scene inside the pavilion, the transparent plastic donation box had been smashed at the door area and damaged, and the larger cabinet containing sacred objects was pried open, breaking the wooden frame. The suspect removed the glass from the cabinet and placed it aside. Also, the coffin donation box, intended to buy coffins for unclaimed bodies, was broken open and damaged.
The suspect stole over 10,000 baht in cash from the donation box. Investigators reviewed CCTV footage of the escape route and conducted field inquiries, learning the suspect lived in Samrong Tai Subdistrict, Phra Pradaeng District, Samut Prakan. They monitored him and eventually arrested him. Police charged him with theft at a religious worship site using a vehicle and handed him over to the prosecutor for legal proceedings.
During questioning, Navin claimed he had no occupation and was a habitual online gambler. On the day of the incident, he rode his motorcycle alone from his home in Samrong Tai Subdistrict, stopped to rest at the pavilion beside the crematorium at Wat Yai, waiting for the right moment. Then he rode the motorcycle to Wat Mai Bang Plakod, parked beside the Sangha offering pavilion, and scouted the area. Seeing no monks or people around, he pried open a window, climbed into the pavilion, smashed the donation box, and took all the cash inside, both bills and coins, totaling over 10,000 baht. He also pried open the coffin donation box and took several baht before breaking into the sacred object vending cabinet, taking more than 20 amulets. He sold all the amulets at a stall near Phut Bridge, earning 300 baht.
Navin said he used the money stolen from the donation box to gamble online on the World Cup football matches. He lost several thousand baht and had no money to pay. Some of the money was also used for daily expenses and to buy a phone.
He denied using drugs but admitted to being addicted to online gambling including football, boxing, and slot games on various websites. He was recently released on 7 January 2026 after serving time for assault at Bang Phli Police Station and has been arrested 7-8 times previously for theft. He was held in juvenile detention but has no job and roams doing gambling. He borrowed money from friends and acquaintances before committing this crime.