Thai police have employed an unusual tactic to arrest a man suspected of stealing approximately $64,000 (£47,500) worth of Buddhist artefacts. Officers donned a lion dance costume during the lunar new year festivities to apprehend the 33-year-old suspect in the suburbs of Bangkok.
The arrest took place on Wednesday evening following a report earlier this month of a home burglary. Stolen items included numerous Buddhist objects and two 12-inch Buddha statues. Police noted signs of repeated attempts to enter the property.
With limited leads, officers kept the house under surveillance for weeks before devising a plan to join a lion dance procession at a nearby Buddhist temple. “Officers gradually moved closer to the suspect before arresting him,” police said.
Video footage released by the authorities shows brightly coloured lion dancers approaching the suspect. An officer then emerges from the costume’s head and, with assistance from colleagues, wrestles him to the ground.
The suspect has a criminal record involving drug offences and theft, police added. The stolen artefacts are valued at about 2 million baht (£47,500).
