Police hunting for Phuket Town temple robbers

Police are on the lookout for three men who broke into and robbed the donation box at Wat Khao Rang Samakkhitham, on Rang Hill in Phuket Town, making off with only an estimated B500.

However, the robbers did consider also robbing the gold and precious stones from the receptacle where the temple’s prized main Buddha image resides.

Monks at the temple noticed the donation box had been smashed open and called police this morning (April 28).

A review of the CCTV footage at the temple showed the three men, all aged 25-30 years old and reportedly dressed like construction workers, entering the temple at 5:20pm yesterday.

Further inspection showed that the robbers attempted to climb the main shrine in the temple, where pure gold is a main feature of Buddha image and the religious artefacts in the Buddha image receptacle.

The gold in the parasol positioned above the Buddha image is alone estimated to be worth nearly B800,000, not including the precious stones the Buddha image receptacle features.

For reasons not yet explained, the robbers eventually decided against stealing the image, police reported.

Meanwhile, the hunt for the suspects continues.

The Phuket News

 

 

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