Thai police have arrested a man suspected of stealing about £47,500 worth of Buddhist artefacts, using a lion dance costume as cover during lunar new year celebrations.
Officers responded to a report earlier this month of a burglary at a home in the suburbs of Bangkok. The theft involved numerous Buddhist objects and two 12-inch Buddha statues, with evidence of multiple attempts to break into the property.
With few leads, police kept the house under surveillance for weeks before devising an unusual plan: joining a lion dance procession at a nearby Buddhist temple. “Officers gradually moved closer to the suspect before arresting him,” police said.
Video released by the authorities shows brightly coloured lion dancers approaching the suspect before an officer suddenly emerges from the costume’s head and, with help from colleagues, wrestles him to the ground.
Police estimated the stolen items to be worth about 2 million baht. The 33-year-old suspect has a criminal record involving drug offences and theft, police added.
