Thai police officers donned a lion costume during Lunar New Year celebrations to arrest a man suspected of stealing Buddhist artefacts worth around 2 million baht (£47,500). The unusual undercover operation took place on Wednesday evening in a suburb of Bangkok.
The suspect, aged 33, is accused of breaking into a home and stealing numerous Buddhist objects, including two 12-inch Buddha statues. Police had been investigating the burglary since a report earlier this month but had few leads.
Officers kept the property under surveillance for weeks before devising a plan to join a lion dance procession at a nearby Buddhist temple. Video footage shows the costumed dancers approaching the suspect before an officer emerges from the lion's head, wrestling the man to the ground with colleagues' help.
The suspect has a prior criminal record involving drug offences and theft, according to police. The stolen artefacts are valued at approximately $64,000.
