Disciples turn on revered Ayutthaya abbot as police probe ฿92 million, secret videos, temple cash and a woman. Five raids followed across three provinces, the monk disrobed while his temple administrator arrived at CSD headquarters in handcuffs on Thursday.
A celebrated Ayutthaya abbot was arrested on Thursday after his own disciples secretly handed police video clips, financial records and evidence of a relationship with a woman. The tip triggered an almost two-month covert investigation into more than ฿92 million in suspected temple fund abuse. Police then raided five locations across Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Bangkok, seized cash and documents, and widened the inquiry to a foundation, sacred-object income and possible money laundering. By Thursday afternoon, Phra Wachirayan, better known as Luang Pho Atichot Dhammavaro, had left the monkhood, while his temple administrator arrived handcuffed at Crime Suppression Division headquarters. The case now joins a succession of major scandals involving temple wealth, senior monks and criminal investigations across Thailand.
Disciples secretly turned against a celebrated Ayutthaya abbot before police arrested him on Thursday over a ฿92 million temple fund scandal. They supplied investigators with video clips, financial records and details of his relationship with a woman.
Crucially, the disclosures triggered an almost two-month covert investigation into money flowing from the historic royal temple. Police then searched five locations across three provinces. By Thursday afternoon, the abbot had left the monkhood. Meanwhile, his temple administrator had arrived handcuffed at Crime Suppression Division headquarters.
Police arrested Phra Wachirayan, better known as Luang Pho Atichot Dhammavaro or Luang Pho Chot, early on September 10. The 66-year-old headed Wat Phutthaisawan in Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya. Notably, he was a high-ranking monk with a large following. He also held a royally conferred ecclesiastical rank. Wat Phutthaisawan is a historic royal monastery in the former Siamese capital. Yet the investigation began within Atichot’s own circle.
Secret tip from disciple triggered two-month police probe into Atichot and suspected temple fund abuse
In July, a disciple secretly approached the Crime Suppression Division with information about the abbot. The source asked to remain anonymous. According to police, disciples had become unable to tolerate the situation.
In response, they began supplying information about Atichot’s conduct and temple finances. The material included video evidence and details about suspected embezzlement. It also covered his close relationship with a woman.
Police then opened a covert investigation lasting almost two months. Detectives quietly examined financial transactions and activities linked to Wat Phutthaisawan. In parallel, investigators scrutinised money generated through temple activities. They also examined income from the sale of sacred objects. Separately, police checked whether those funds had entered official temple accounts. Investigators subsequently identified transactions they considered irregular.
By Thursday, police were examining suspected losses exceeding ฿92 million. Pol Lt Gen Nattasak Chaowanasai, Commander of the Crime Suppression Division, disclosed details after the arrest. He said the original information came from a disciple in July. Moreover, the source provided information about several aspects of Atichot’s conduct. These included his relationship with the woman and the handling of temple money.
Sacred-object sales and diverted temple income become central to the ฿92 million criminal investigation
The informant also raised questions about sales of sacred objects. Additionally, police received information about financial transactions connected with temple activities. Investigators then examined money which should have entered Wat Phutthaisawan’s accounts. However, they found indications that parts of the money flow had been changed. That discovery became a central part of the criminal case.
Pol Lt Gen Nattasak said money from temple activities should normally enter the temple’s account. Furthermore, it must later be spent for its stated purpose. Police nevertheless found indications that funds had been transferred to individuals. Officers are now tracing those payments and identifying recipients. As part of this, investigators are examining what happened after the money left its expected route.
“In principle, money obtained from temple activities should go into the temple’s account,” Pol Lt Gen Nattasak said. He added that its use must follow the stated purpose. “However, the investigation into this case revealed attempts to alter the flow of funds,” he said. Some money was transferred to individuals and later used to establish a foundation. Yet donation receipts were issued using the temple’s name.
That arrangement is now under detailed examination. Police want to establish how the foundation was financed and who controlled the money. At the same time, investigators are examining why Wat Phutthaisawan donation receipts were issued for funds directed elsewhere. Financial records are now being reconstructed transaction by transaction. Still, police have not completed the entire money trail.
Police widen ฿92 million inquiry across three provinces as investigators trace assets and recipients
Therefore, the final amount involved has not been established. Current calculations nevertheless put suspected losses above ฿92 million. Investigators are identifying major transfers, recipients and associated assets. On another front, police are examining whether others helped move or receive the money. Investigators currently believe another one or two people may have been involved.
Thursday’s arrest therefore did not conclude the operation. Instead, it opened another stage focused on money, assets and connected individuals. Police are also examining whether funds were converted into property or other assets. Likewise, they want to establish whether property was placed in other people’s names. Those questions now sit inside the wider money-laundering inquiry.
The operation extended far beyond Wat Phutthaisawan. Early Thursday, police searched five locations across three provinces. Searches covered Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Bangkok. Atichot cooperated fully when officers arrived. Meanwhile, investigators searched premises and gathered financial and physical evidence.
Police seized cash, documents and other material during the raids. In addition, officers collected records which could help reconstruct the money trail. Those seizures will be compared with evidence gathered during the covert inquiry. Police already possess financial slips, documents and video clips. Importantly, Pol Lt Gen Nattasak confirmed that material is now in the case file.
Two-month covert probe built case against senior abbot before warrant and evidence-led arrest operation
Police spent nearly two months building that file before moving against Atichot. There was a specific reason for the lengthy investigation. He was a high-ranking and well-known monk with numerous disciples. Many people also respected and revered him. For that reason, police considered it essential to obtain substantial evidence before taking legal action.
Investigators eventually sought an arrest warrant from the Region 1 Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases. The court issued warrant No. 29/2569 on September 8. Two days later, officers launched the searches and arrested Atichot. By then, evidence gathered during the preceding two months was ready for prosecutors.
The investigation, however, was not confined to temple money. The original informant also supplied information about Atichot’s close female associate. Police believe their involvement began about two years ago. Investigators also obtained video material concerning the relationship. That evidence became another important strand of the case.
Investigators say the video showed intimate conduct involving Atichot and the woman. Police also examined footage connected with the former abbot’s residence. Consequently, the inquiry raised a separate issue under Buddhist monastic discipline. Sexual intercourse constitutes a fundamental breach of monastic rules. Police stressed, however, that ecclesiastical discipline is not their primary responsibility.
Police seize video-linked evidence as Atichot leaves monkhood and temple administrator is brought in
Instead, the CSD investigation centres on suspected corruption and financial transactions. Even so, the two strands intersected during Thursday’s evidence-gathering operation. Police collected financial documents while securing physical evidence linked to video material. One particularly unusual item seized was an orange round table.
The table appeared in video evidence examined by investigators. Accordingly, officers removed it for examination as evidence. Police also seized a box of documents from the temple. The box carried a label referring to an office building and another building behind Atichot’s residence. Police have not disclosed the contents.
Later on Thursday, Atichot was taken before senior Buddhist officials in Ayutthaya. The procedure lasted about 30 minutes. He subsequently relinquished the monkhood. As a result, the man arrested as a senior abbot became Mr Atichot. Police then prepared to transport him to CSD headquarters for formal questioning.
Elsewhere, the investigation was tightening around other people connected with the temple. At about 3.15 pm, officers brought temple administrator Chettha Ninsukhum to CSD headquarters. Police avoided the main entrance, where journalists were waiting. Instead, they brought him through the rear and used a back lift. Significantly, Chettha was handcuffed.
Temple administrator and female associate drawn deeper into widening ฿92 million money-laundering inquiry
Reports linked his appearance to the inquiry into more than ฿92 million in financial transactions. Police had not announced his precise legal status by Thursday afternoon. Nor had investigators disclosed specific charges against him. His position therefore remained subject to further clarification. His arrival nevertheless showed that the inquiry had expanded beyond Atichot.
Police were also examining the role of Atichot’s female associate. She was brought in for evidence gathering and questioning. More importantly, investigators are interested in more than their personal relationship. Detectives are examining whether financial transfers reached people around Atichot. They are also checking whether funds were later converted into assets.
At the same time, investigators are examining whether assets were held under other people’s names. Those questions form an important part of the money-laundering inquiry. Reported accusations against Atichot include misappropriation involving temple property. The case also concerns wrongful or corrupt performance of official duties. In addition, investigators are pursuing conspiracy and joint money-laundering accusations.
Police are therefore treating the affair as a major financial crime investigation. It is not simply a case concerning breaches of Buddhist rules. The sexual evidence affected Atichot’s monastic status. By contrast, the suspected movement of more than ฿92 million drives the criminal inquiry. Police are now following that money beyond the temple.
Police trace receipts, foundation funds and sacred-object income while weighing opposition to bail
Investigators are checking seized papers against financial records already obtained. Concurrently, officers are following transfers between individuals. They are also examining the foundation connected with some questioned funds. Another key issue is the use of temple donation receipts. Police want to know why Wat Phutthaisawan’s name appeared on receipts for money handled elsewhere.
The sale of sacred objects is also under examination. Income generated through those activities should have been properly recorded for the temple. According to police, the original informant supplied information suggesting irregularities. That information helped turn the July tip into a full criminal inquiry. From there, detectives began tracing where temple-related income actually went.
The CSD is also considering whether to oppose bail. Pol Lt Gen Nattasak said any decision would depend upon Atichot’s conduct and applicable law. One consideration is possible interference with evidence. Police are also conscious of his prominence and large following. Accordingly, investigators will assess whether witnesses or evidence could be affected.
Thursday’s arrest comes after years of major criminal cases involving Thailand’s Buddhist establishment. Several have centred on temple finances. Others involved serious breaches of monastic rules. More recently, major investigations have brought both issues together. Against that backdrop, vast sums remain under the control of temples nationwide.
Thailand’s vast temple wealth comes under renewed scrutiny after years of major Buddhist fund scandals
Figures disclosed through the Bank of Thailand and the National Office of Buddhism showed around ฿410 billion in temple accounts. The money was held across roughly 39,000 bank accounts. Yet temple funds are not an abbot’s personal property. They must be used for recognised temple purposes. These include restoration, monastic education and religious activities.
Even so, the handling of temple money has repeatedly produced criminal investigations. One major wave emerged during the temple fund scandals of 2017 and 2018. Those investigations examined state funds allocated to Buddhist temples. Police subsequently raided several prominent religious institutions. Officials connected with the National Office of Buddhism also came under investigation.
Then, in May 2018, coordinated police operations targeted senior monks. Investigators were examining suspected embezzlement of state money intended for temples. Several monks held senior positions within Thailand’s ecclesiastical hierarchy. Thus, the investigations reached well beyond ordinary provincial temples.
A further wave followed in 2025. The Sika Golf affair exposed relationships between a woman known as Golf and numerous senior monks. Initially, the inquiry centred on the former abbot of Wat Tri Thotsathep in Bangkok. Police then seized Golf’s electronic devices. Those devices opened a much wider investigation.
Sika Golf investigation exposed senior monks, intimate material and ฿385 million flowing through accounts
Investigators found photographs, videos and messages concerning senior monks. Police eventually said Golf had connections with at least 13 monks. Other reports put the number linked to her even higher. Meanwhile, consequences inside the Sangha came quickly. Nine monks had left the monkhood by Golf’s arrest in July 2025.
The affair rapidly developed into a financial investigation as well. Police examined Golf’s accounts and found extraordinary sums moving through them. Approximately ฿385 million had passed through her accounts during three years. Yet almost all that money had disappeared. Investigators reportedly found only about ฿8,000 remaining.
Police also found evidence that some money had been spent through online gambling. Golf subsequently faced criminal proceedings involving extortion-related accusations and money laundering. Investigators said intimate relationships and personal material had become linked with financial demands. As a result, police began examining where monks obtained money transferred to her.
That question brought temple accounts directly into the investigation. It also brought Ayutthaya into the scandal. One monk caught in the inquiry was the former abbot of Wat Chujit Dhammaram. He admitted transferring more than ฿12 million to Golf. He described those funds as his personal money.
Ayutthaya temple money case leads into larger Wat Phutthaisawan probe and Lopburi donation scandal
Golf had reportedly told him she needed capital for a ceramics business. However, transfers continued after his personal funds were exhausted. Investigators said another ฿380,000 then came from temple money. Police subsequently charged the former abbot with misappropriation and wrongful performance of official duties. Thus, Ayutthaya already had a recent temple case involving money and a woman.
The amount now under scrutiny at Wat Phutthaisawan is substantially larger. Police are examining more than ฿92 million. Furthermore, the latest inquiry reaches five locations across three provinces. It also involves a foundation, donation receipts and income from sacred objects.
Another major Buddhist financial case followed in Lopburi during August 2025. Police arrested Luang Phor Alongkot, former abbot of Wat Phra Bat Namphu. The temple was nationally known for caring for people living with HIV/AIDS. Later, it expanded its work to other vulnerable people. Consequently, it attracted substantial charitable donations.
Police accused the former abbot of offences involving donated funds. Those accusations included embezzlement, dereliction of duty and money laundering. He was subsequently disrobed. He denied wrongdoing. Once again, investigators were examining money donated to a Buddhist institution for specific purposes.
Novice abuse case adds another scandal while police keep focus on money trail surrounding Atichot
Then another serious case emerged in Bangkok in March 2026. Seven novice monks made accusations of sexual abuse involving two former senior monks. The investigation concerned a prominent Bangkok temple. Parents said some abuse had continued over an extended period. Anti-Human Trafficking Division officers subsequently arrested two former monks.
Police also interviewed additional young complainants. Those accusations were fundamentally different from consensual adult relationships involving monks and women. They concerned suspected criminal abuse of young people. Nonetheless, the investigation became another major case involving people inside Thailand’s monastic institutions.
Thursday’s Wat Phutthaisawan operation now adds another high-ranking monk to that succession of cases. Once again, substantial temple funds are being traced. Once again, a woman close to a senior monk forms part of the inquiry. This time, however, the police focus remains firmly on the money.
More than ฿92 million is currently under examination. Investigators want to establish precisely where the funds originated. They also want to establish where the money went. Beyond that, police want to know who eventually received or controlled it. Donation receipts issued in Wat Phutthaisawan’s name could become crucial evidence.
Foundation, receipts and seized records become central as police reconstruct the full ฿92 million trail
The foundation is another significant element. Police are examining how it was established and what funds passed through connected individuals. Meanwhile, records seized during Thursday’s searches could expose additional transfers. Cash taken during the raids will also be examined.
Investigators will compare physical evidence with banking records and financial slips already obtained. Consequently, the final scale may depend heavily on reconstructing the complete money trail. Police have made clear that the current ฿92 million figure is still under investigation. The precise total could therefore change.
The case itself began in striking circumstances. It did not start with a routine financial inspection. Nor did it begin with an outside complaint. Instead, disciples inside Atichot’s own circle went secretly to police. They supplied evidence after deciding they could no longer tolerate the situation.
Their information included private video material. It also included suspicions about temple funds and the sale of sacred objects. Police then spent almost two months testing those claims. Detectives examined financial slips, documents and video clips. Alongside that work, they investigated Atichot’s relationship with the woman.
Only after that work did police seek an arrest warrant. The court issued it on September 8. Two days later, officers moved. Five locations were searched across Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Bangkok. Cash, documents and other evidence were seized.
Atichot leaves monkhood as police prepare further disclosures and trace more people linked to the case
Atichot was arrested and later left the monkhood. Meanwhile, his temple administrator arrived handcuffed at CSD headquarters. His female associate was also brought into the inquiry. Police were tracing more than ฿92 million. Investigators were also examining another one or two possible participants.
By Thursday evening, the financial investigation remained active. Police had not disclosed the complete money trail. They were also withholding deeper details contained in the case file. Pol Lt Gen Nattasak said the investigation would proceed according to the evidence.
The Crime Suppression Division is expected to disclose further details on September 11. Those findings could clarify Chettha’s position. They could also reveal more about the female associate and other possible participants. In the meantime, investigators will continue tracing money and connected assets.
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Monk mistress thought the money was never-ending. Went through ฿385 million. Blew ฿3 million in one day
The case began with a secret approach by disciples in July. Almost two months later, police had arrested a prominent Ayutthaya abbot. Atichot had also relinquished the monkhood. At the same time, officers had searched five locations across three provinces.
Now the investigation extends beyond the former abbot himself. Police are examining people around him, a foundation, temple receipts and sacred-object income. They are also examining cash, documents and connected financial transfers. Above all, investigators are reconstructing a financial trail exceeding ฿92 million. They want every major transfer identified and every recipient established.
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