Close aide of ex-Wat Rai Khing abbot arrested in embezzlement case
Police on Friday arrested Ekkapot Phukhang, also known as Phra Maha Ekkapot, a close aide to the ex-Wat Rai Khing abbot, over his alleged role in the 300-million-baht embezzlement.
The arrest followed the surrender of the former abbot, Yaem Intrangkrungkao (Phra Dharma Wachiranuwat), at the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) headquarters in Bangkok on Thursday.
Yaem is accused of misappropriating at least 300 million baht by transferring temple funds into his personal account, which were allegedly used to gamble on an online baccarat platform.
Ekkapot was taken to the Royal Police Cadet Academy in Sam Phran district, Nakhon Pathom, where he was questioned by CIB Deputy Commissioner Pol Maj Gen Jaroonkiat Pankaew.
He admitted to depositing money, received from the former abbot, into various ATMs before transferring it to the bank account of Aranyawan Wangthapan—an online gambling broker who was earlier arrested in Pattaya. Aranyawan is believed to have played a major role in laundering over 800 million baht through three corporate entities.
The embezzlement has been linked to the online gambling website LAGALAXY911, which was previously targeted in a 2024 crackdown by the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB). Cyber police are seeking arrest warrants for 24 suspects, including financial managers, programmers, bank account handlers for deposits and withdrawals, and money mules used to receive transferred funds.
Police initially charged Ekkapot with promoting or facilitating illegal online gambling, conspiring to launder money and participating in the laundering process.
