Prominent Monk Arrested After Police Find Millions in Cash and Sex Video in Raid

A prominent Buddhist monk in Thailand has been arrested in a jaw-dropping corruption scandal after police accused him of stealing roughly $3 million from his temple — and then allegedly found video of him having sex with a woman inside his residence.

Phra Wachirayan Wi, 66, the former head monk at the historic Wat Phutthaisawan temple in Ayutthaya, is accused of siphoning off donations meant for the temple more than 20 times over a two-year period.

The accusations are especially explosive because Buddhist monks in Thailand are expected to remain celibate and give up material possessions.

Phra Wachirayan was stripped of his monk status after his arrest. He has not publicly commented on the allegations.

Police said they uncovered two separate streams of money connected to receipts issued in the temple’s name.

One involved donations meant to pay for temple renovations. The other involved money collected from the sale of amulets and other sacred religious items.

Investigators said none of that money ever made it into the temple’s official account.

“Not a single baht,” lead investigator Pattanasak Bupphasuwan said at a news conference.

The case became even more shocking when police raided Phra Wachirayan’s residence Thursday.

Authorities reportedly found cash and gold bars worth more than 100 million baht, or about $3 million. Thai media reported that officers were still counting the haul late into the night.

Then investigators reviewed security camera footage from inside the residence.

Police said they found a video showing the monk having sex with a woman on his dining table.

Authorities identified the woman as 47-year-old Punyavee Rungrueang.

She was also arrested and accused of helping a government-linked official engage in illegal activity. She has not publicly commented.

Many Buddhist monks in Thailand receive government stipends, which means they can be treated as state officials under Thai law.

Police also searched Punyavee’s home, where they reportedly seized 35 gold amulets, roughly 3.3 pounds of gold bars and jewelry worth about 6.04 million baht.

Investigators believe she may have helped manage money allegedly stolen from the temple.

Authorities said tens of millions of baht moved through her bank accounts every year.

Phra Wachirayan was well known for creating a highly prized coin amulet, and Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul reportedly owns some of his work.

The scandal is the latest embarrassment for Thailand’s Buddhist establishment, which has faced repeated accusations involving monks breaking celibacy vows, trafficking drugs and committing financial crimes.

Just over a year ago, another massive scandal erupted after at least nine monks were found to have had sex with the same woman.

Police said she later used photos and videos of the encounters to blackmail the monks for nearly $12 million.

The fallout became so serious that authorities opened a hotline for members of the public to report suspected “misbehaving monks.”

Investigators say the current case began in mid-July after police received an anonymous tip accusing Phra Wachirayan of misconduct and misuse of temple funds.

Authorities now believe two or three other people may also be involved.

The investigation is ingoing.