Authorities arrested 11 alleged gamblers in a raid of an underground casino located in a Nakhon Si Thammarat province temple, officials said Wednesday.
Eleven alleged gamblers are taken to a press conference in Nakhon Si Thammarat following a raid on a temple hall.
A combined team of border-patrol police, local officials and soldiers raided the monks' dining hall at Wat Khuan Nong Hong in Cha-uat district late Tuesday where more than 100 people were enjoying illegal games of chance.
Authorities were only able to capture 10 women and one man. The rest successfully escaped, Flt Sgt 1st Class Supachot Pramphun said.
Authorities seized gambling equipment and more than 150 motorcycles parked at the compound. Officials took several hours to complete the inventory and the suspects and seized items were then handed over to Cha-uat police at 2am this morning.
Flt Sgt Supachot said the raid followed complaints that gambling had been openly occurring in the temple for a long time. Certain senior monks had allegedly allowed the gambling operator to use the temple's area as a mobile casino in exchange for donations.
The complaints alleged some police officers knew about it, but turned a blind eye.
Nakhon Si Thammarat governor Peerasak Hinmuangkao said on Wednesday that gambling in the temple's compound was unacceptable. He will coordinate with the Office of National Buddhism to ask the temple's abbot about the gambling.
He urged police to investigate officers found to be complicit in the operation.