Pattaya, Thailand – A Sattahip monk fell victim to the manipulative tactics of a woman who successfully conned him out of over 850,000 Baht. The incident was reported to the Plutaluang Police Station on July 29, raising concerns among the authorities and local residents.
Yodchai Tanomsing, headman of Moo 1, Plutaluang, Sattahip, disclosed the troubling details of the case. The saga began in early April 2022 when the con artist believed to be around 40 years old, approached Phra Yasahtammo, known as Luangta Lek, a respected 78-year-old monk from Ratsamakkhi Temple at Kilometer 10, with a fabricated story of needing money to refuel her vehicle for a supposed journey back to Chanthaburi Province. She spun a tale of financial distress, citing a lost court case, and appealed to the monk for his compassion and assistance.
As time went on, the woman’s appeals for financial aid increased in frequency and complexity. Devising an intricate scheme, she managed to convince the monk that she had an investment opportunity in furniture production, convincing him that she would make a huge profit and return his money.
Starting with a modest request of a thousand Baht, her pleas escalated into an intricate web of falsehoods. She made assurances of repaying the borrowed funds once her supposed investments bore fruit. However, each time she failed to uphold her commitments, she severed communication and disappeared without a trace.
In her sporadic reappearances, she even coerced the monk into transferring his monthly old-age pension of 700 Baht to her. Luangta Lek, who had painstakingly accumulated these funds over two decades through donations and offerings, now found himself a victim of deception. The monk displayed multiple withdrawals from his account, aggregating to an astonishing 850,000 baht.
Despite the heartache caused by the con, Luangta Lek displayed a remarkable spirit of forgiveness. He expressed his hope that the authorities would apprehend the woman responsible and recover the entire sum. He said that he would forgive her and not press any charges for her wrongdoing.
