Thieves Cut Temple Bells Off Mounting Posts in Petchaburi Province Theft

Key summary

On October 24, 2026, Air Chief Su Chin Prasong, the lay manager of Wat Thian Thawai in Mueang District, Pathum Thani Province, reported that two bells hanging around a monument of Luang Pu Thuat by the Chao Phraya River were stolen. Surveillance footage captured the suspects using angle grinders to cut the ears of the bells from their mounting posts. The theft occurred on October 17, 2026, following rain. Each bell weighs 10 kilograms and has a value of 3,000 baht. Originally, 16 bells hung around the monument. Two suspects were seen in the footage, though more accomplices may have been involved due to the bells' weight. The lay manager filed a complaint at Pak Khlong Rangsit Police Station on October 24, 2026.