Buddhist Monk Viral Video: Thai Abbot Arrested in Embezzlement Scandal After Intimate Videos Surface
Thai Buddhist abbot Phra Wachirayan Wi, 66, and associate Punyavee Rungrueang, 47, arrested over alleged £2m temple embezzlement. CCTV showed them having s*x at his home. Cash and gold bars worth millions seized. He was defrocked after arrest. Case is latest scandal hitting Thailand’s clergy.
A senior Thai Buddhist monk and a woman have been arrested over an alleged multimillion-baht embezzlement scheme involving temple funds, with police also recovering CCTV footage of the pair engaging in sexual activity. Phra Wachirayan Wi, 66, the former abbot of the historic Wat Phutthaisawan temple in Ayutthaya, was taken into custody on Thursday alongside Punyavee Rungrueang, 47. He faces charges including embezzlement of property as a public official, misconduct in office, and money laundering. She is accused of aiding the misappropriation and money laundering. Both were later remanded in custody without bail.
Financial Allegations
Police launched the probe in mid-July after receiving an anonymous tip about alleged misconduct and misuse of temple money. According to The Guardian, investigators identified two main streams of funds linked to donation receipts issued in the temple’s name: roughly 89 million baht intended for renovations and about 2.8 million baht from the sale of Buddhist amulets and sacred objects.
None of the money entered the temple’s accounts, according to lead investigator Pattanasak Bupphasuwan. "Not a single baht," he said. Over more than two years, authorities say, more than 20 donation certificates were issued without the funds reaching the temple, causing losses exceeding 92 million baht (approximately $2.7-2.8 million or £2 million).
Raids on six locations, including the monk’s quarters, uncovered substantial assets. These included large amounts of cash, more than 1,000 baht-weight of gold bars and jewellery valued in the tens of millions of baht, amulets, and land title deeds. Total assets linked to the pair have been estimated at around 215 million baht. Police are determining which items belong to the temple and which are personal property. China Accused of Torturing Tibetan Monk as Dam Protest Detention Leaves Him Fighting for Life.
Arrest and Defrocking
Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau arrested the abbot at the temple early on Thursday under a court warrant issued days earlier. He was defrocked shortly afterward and is now referred to by his lay name, Atichot Thanprasert (or Atichot Dhammavaro). Both suspects were brought before the Central Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases and ordered held for 12 days, Bangkok Post reported.
Videos of S*x
During the investigation, police examined CCTV from the monk’s residence and discovered footage showing him kissing and having s*x with Punyavee Rungrueang. Clips of the pair on a chair and on a dining table circulated widely in Thai media. Buddhist monks in Thailand take vows of celibacy and renounce personal wealth, making the images a significant breach of monastic rules. The woman is described as a close associate who allegedly helped convert and conceal the diverted funds.
Thailand’s Buddhist clergy has faced repeated scandals involving financial misconduct and violations of celibacy vows. The latest case follows a high-profile sex-and-blackmail episode last year in which a woman allegedly recorded encounters with senior monks and sought large sums of money. Authorities have previously opened hotlines for reporting misbehaving monks and increased scrutiny of temple finances. Officials said the current investigation would expand to identify any other people involved and aimed to restore public confidence in the institution.
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(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 12, 2026 12:26 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
