89 million baht worth of gold bars, cash found buried behind Korat temple

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) announced on Monday that its Crime Suppression Department (CSD) had on Sunday uncovered 80 million baht in cash and 19 million baht worth of gold bars buried in a hill behind the temple.

This finding brings the total assets seized from Wat Pa Dhamma Khiri’s former abbot and the popular preacher up to 207 million baht. The temple is located in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Pak Chong district.

On Saturday, CSD officers arrested the temple’s former abbot Phra Mor, former preacher Phra Achan Khom and Khom’s sister Juthathip Phulobdiwachoruphan, 35.

CSD said that arrest warrants were issued for the three individuals after the National Office of Buddhism (NOB) had filed a complaint seeking an investigation.

The religious authority had received tips that the two former monks had been embezzling donations from their temple.

When CSD officers showed up to arrest the suspects on Saturday, they found that the two former monks had given up their saffron robes. Hence, CSD identified the former abbot by his layman’s name, Wuthima Thaomor, 38, and the preacher as Khom Kongkaew, 39.

CSD commander Pol Maj-General Montree Theskhan said at a press conference on Sunday that Khom was arrested in Bangkok, Wuthima in Nakhon Ratchasima and Juthathip in Nonthaburi.

The two former monks said they had given up their saffron robes because they felt guilty about engaging in intercourse during their time as monks.

Earlier, CSD officers found 51 million baht in cash at Juthathip’s home and another 130 million baht in her bank accounts. The officers suspect this is money embezzled from donations to the temple. While Wuthima was the abbot, Khom was the temple’s treasurer.

In those days, Khom was popular for his rhetorical style of preaching, drawing lots of followers from Bangkok.

Local villagers said the temple was off-limits for them as it appeared to have been reserved for only rich devotees from Bangkok, who always arrived in luxury cars.

On Monday, CIB commissioner Pol Lt-General Jirapop Phuridej said CSD officers and investigators will continue searching for more stolen assets.

The CIB chief also quoted Khom as saying that he and Wuthima did not intend to embezzle the money and it had been transferred to his sister’s bank accounts for safe-keeping.

However, Jirapop pointed out that the money would have been perfectly safe in the temple’s six bank accounts. He also cast doubts on Khom’s claim that he had left monkhood out of guilt and that he had no intention to flee embezzlement charges. Jirapop said police had learned that Khom had allegedly had sex with both laymen and other monks while studying at the monk’s university.