Audacious Thieves Strike Utayan Temple, Stealing Donations Right Before Buddha Statue
Thieves broke into Utayan Temple in Nonthaburi Province in early May, stealing tens of thousands of baht from a safe and donation bowls before a Buddha statue while security cameras rolled.
Audacious thieves have targeted Utayan Temple, stealing donations in front of a Buddha statue. Police are actively pursuing the perpetrators. On May 2, 2569, authorities reported that criminals broke into Utayan Temple in Nonthaburi Province. Security cameras captured clear footage of the criminals as they pried open a safe containing temple donations before fleeing with several tens of thousands of baht. After successfully breaching the safe, the criminals systematically collected all donations from the monks' alms bowls throughout the temple, causing significant distress to the monastic community and local Buddhists. In a separate incident on the night of April 29, 2569 at approximately 23:34, the criminals returned and struck again—this time a group of two—targeting the Sangha Donation Hall. Authorities believe this may be a different group from the first incident. Police have investigated the scene and collected CCTV evidence to track down the perpetrators. They suspect the criminals are very familiar with the temple grounds, as they knew the exact location of the donation storage. The investigation is ongoing and authorities are pursuing legal action against those responsible.
