The chief of the Padad Sub-district announced that early on Tuesday morning, the abbot of Wat Don Chai had reported a theft at the temple.
The thief, who had attempted to steal from the donation box, according to the chief, had been apprehended by the temple’s monks.
The man, who did not hold Thai citizenship, was intoxicated when authorities arrived. A mirror had been damaged in the attempted robbery.
According to the monks, they were alerted to the attempted crime by the barking and howling of temple dogs, which attracted the attention of the monks.
Upon arrest, the man told authorities that he had been out of a job for a long time and had no money to eat. He noticed that there was no one around and decided to rob the temple, not expecting to be exposed by the temple dogs, which all surrounded him, halting his escape. He said he wanted to buy alcohol with the money.
The man also admitted to having stolen from the same donation box on the 11th of April.
The abbot said that he will not press charges this time, but this is the last time that he will be lenient.
