Hua Hin —
At 4:00 PM on August 13th, 2024, Hua Hin police officers arrested a man who impersonated a Buddhist monk to allegedly solicit donations at the Hua Hin Tourist Police Station in Prachuap Khiri Khan.
The suspect who dressed like a Buddhist monk, publicly identified as Wichai Praising (29), was charged with fraud and unlawfully dressing as a monk to deceive others.
According to the police report, Wichai, dressed in monk’s robes, approached the Hua Hin Tourist Police Station with donation envelopes and a certificate from a local monastery, claiming the funds were needed for bathroom construction and electricity bills.
The officers collected 430 baht and handed it to him. However, upon verifying with the monastery, it was revealed that no such fundraising event was authorized.
Meanwhile, another report was received about a monk soliciting donations near Somtawin School, near the tourist police station, in Hua Hin. Upon investigation, the police found it was the same individual from the earlier incident.
Upon initial interrogation, Wichai reportedly confessed that he was not a monk but had donned the robes to make it easier to solicit money. He was later escorted to Hua Hin police station for further legal proceedings.
This article originally appeared on our sister website The Pattaya News.
