The mysterious money trail of "Sika Ae" from bankruptcy to hundreds of millions in assets. The Office of Buddhism points out that the "former Luang Por Atichot" issued fake donation certificates, accumulating income from amulet sales into a fake foundation. This "merit laundering" flowed into private pockets, leading to the Crime Suppression Division arresting Sika Ae.
“Sika Ae,” a close lay attendant of the former Luang Por Atichot, abbot of Wat Phutthaisawan in Ayutthaya, was found involved in a scandalous money trail issuing fraudulent donation certificates, establishing a fake foundation that embezzled over 92-100 million baht from the temple. Further investigation led to a raid on her home where assets including cash, gold bars, and land deeds totaling over 140 million baht were seized. She claimed the assets came from her work, contradicting her bankruptcy history.
On 10 Sep 2026 GMT+7, officers from the Crime Suppression Division arrested Tid Choti, aged 66, former abbot of Wat Phutthaisawan in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, along with Ms. Punyavee, or Sika Ae, aged 47, on charges of official embezzlement, misconduct in office, and conspiracy to launder money.
Following investigation and a progress briefing on 11 Sep 2026 GMT+7, police revealed the offenses involved issuing fraudulent donation certificates in the temple’s name, divided into two main streams: 22 amulet rental certificates valued at 2.8 million baht, and temple maintenance certificates totaling 89 million baht. The total damage reached approximately 92 to 100 million baht. Additionally, money was transferred into “Hwan Choti Foundation,” a foundation not yet legally registered.
Pol. Col. Jetanipat Siriwat, Superintendent of Division 1, Crime Suppression Division, said Sika Ae began forming a close relationship and serving as a lay attendant inside the temple from around 2007 onward. Notably, she was declared bankrupt in 2019 but managed to clear her debts within three years (by 2022). Afterwards, she appeared unusually wealthy, owning two luxury homes valued at over 4 million baht, along with vast amounts of cash and valuables, despite no clear income sources.
During a recent raid on Sika Ae’s residence in Pathum Thani Province on 10 Sep 2026 GMT+7, authorities seized evidence including approximately 60 million baht in cash, 90 baht weight of gold bars and gold ornaments, 35 gold amulets, jewelry with diamonds and gemstones, land deeds valued around 80 million baht, land sale contracts, 18 investment documents, bankbooks, and government savings bonds, totaling over 140 million baht.
In the investigation stage, the suspects denied all allegations of temple fund embezzlement and money laundering. Regarding the assets, Sika Ae claimed they originated from her work. However, these remain only the suspects’ statements, while police have clear and ample evidence to obtain warrants and conduct searches.
This afternoon (11 Sep 2026 GMT+7), investigators from Division 1, Crime Suppression Division, will present both suspects for detention at the Central Region Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct in Saraburi Province, following legal procedures. They will oppose bail requests, fearing suspects may tamper with evidence.
The Thairath Online special task force interviewed Mr. Kritsakorn Sanit Sakdee, Inspector General of the National Office of Buddhism (NOB), who revealed after the press briefing that the NOB has only preliminarily coordinated and discussed with senior officials. They do not yet have detailed information on the facts or criminal case specifics, including the hiding of items, as that is the direct responsibility of police officers. The NOB handles only the defrocking process to preserve the Sangha’s image, as the footage of police escorting the suspect in monk’s robes during the raid appeared inappropriate. They thus proceeded with defrocking before leaving the matter to legal authorities.
Regarding the issue of donation certificates being exploited as tax deduction loopholes, the Office of Buddhism stated that overall, they are unaware of how large amounts were written or how forgery occurred, since certificates can be easily fabricated. However, from a risk management perspective,
the Office of Buddhism believes the Revenue Department should consider abolishing the old donation certificate system and promote every temple to adopt QR Code technology linked directly to the Revenue Department at 100% to verify actual donation amounts and prevent fraud. Traditional coin donation boxes should remain to accommodate elderly donors, despite being another difficult-to-control loophole. They confirmed that a new acting abbot has been appointed to the temple to ensure proper management.