An abbot from a temple in Ayutthaya has been missing for more than a month after travelling to Khon Kaen with more than 100,000 baht in cash alongside an unidentified driver.
A worker at Sanam Chai Temple, 64 year old Phruek Sukkasem, filed a complaint with police after losing contact with the abbot, 58 year old Sombat Sirisuwanno, on March 17.
According to Phruek, Sombat said he was travelling to collect his son, who has a mental illness, from Ratchaburi and then take him to his ex-wife’s home in Khon Kaen. The abbot booked a car through social media on March 16 and asked another monk at the temple to send the location to the driver via Messenger.
A sedan arrived at the temple at around 8.30pm to collect him. The following day, March 17, Sombat met his ex-wife, 58 year old Sukanya, at around 6pm.
Sukanya said the abbot left their son with her and gave her 10,000 baht in cash to buy medicine for him. She added that Sombat did not use banking applications and usually paid in cash for both personal expenses and temple expenses.
DailyNews reported that the abbot disappeared with more than 100,000 baht in cash. Sukanya told Channel 7 she became suspicious of the driver because she noticed him staring at the abbot throughout the journey.
She said she suspected the driver may have seen the cash and robbed the abbot. However, no official confirmation of that claim has been reported.
Sukanya said she did not try to contact Sombat until their eldest son told her on March 22 that he could not reach him. She then called and sent messages to the abbot, but received no response.
According to Sukanya, the driver was about 40 years old, had a large belly, and was wearing a white shirt. She said he was driving a bronze Toyota sedan.
Police so far found no trace of the abbot. Temple workers and family members urged the driver to come forward and give his account to police, while also calling on anyone with information about the abbot or the driver to contact officers.
Workers at the temple and residents in the area said Sombat had spent 20 years developing the temple and had never damaged his own reputation or that of the temple. They added that the temple has around 1 million baht in debt linked to development work.
The story Ayutthaya abbot missing after trip to Khon Kaen with 100,000 baht in cash as seen on Thaiger News.
