Thai police arrest Buddhist abbot on suspicion of embezzling $3m from monastery

Police in Thailand have arrested a former Buddhist abbot on suspicion of embezzling around 100 million baht ($3m) in donations meant for his 14th-century monastery.

• Phra Wachirayan Wi, 66, the former abbot of Wat Phutthaisawan in Ayutthaya, was arrested Thursday with a 47-year-old female accomplice on embezzlement and money laundering charges.
• Lead investigator Pattanasak Bupphasuwan said donations for temple renovations and amulets never entered the temple's account, declaring "not a single baht" of the funds arrived.
• Police seized assets worth about 215 million baht, including gold bars, jewellery and 28 land title deeds, and defrocked the monk after his arrest.
• Police said they began investigating in mid-July after an anonymous tip, and the case could involve two or three other people.