Just one day after being unmasked as a fake monk, a 65 year old man from Saraburi, Central Thailand, was spotted back on the streets of Bangkok, resuming his act as a disabled beggar—but this time without his monk’s robes.
Last weekend, netizens sparked an outcry when they spotted the fake monk begging in the Phaya Thai district, using crutches and pretending to be disabled. Outraged by the impropriety, social media users demanded action, prompting police to step in. Officers quickly identified the imposter as Nipon, a former monk who had recently turned to begging under the guise of a Buddhist holy man.
Last Sunday, November 10, Nipon was taken to Monks Hospital, where he was disrobed for breaking monastic law and was fined 100 baht for begging, a direct violation of Buddhist principles. However, in a twist that stunned many, a TikTok clip surfaced yesterday, showing a familiar figure—this time dressed in white—receiving donations on the street.
The video, posted by user @zhetols, was captioned: “Today, he wears white. Now that he has been disrobed, he can do the same job. #fakemonk #monkpretendingdisabled.”
With his monastic disguise stripped away, Nipon’s latest act sees him returning to the streets, unfazed by the scandal that exposed him. While some Bangkok residents remain shocked by his brazenness, others worry about the potential damage to the public’s trust in genuine Buddhist monks, reported The Nation.
This incident has also reignited debates on stricter regulation and enforcement to curb impersonation and exploitation of public sympathy.
In related news, police apprehended a monk and his accomplice for fraudulently collecting donations under the guise of a religious charity in Rayong. The offenders placed donation bins at various shops, falsely claiming to represent a defunct temple.
In other news, police arrested a fake Thai monk at a bank within a shopping mall in the Chatuchak district of Bangkok on October 3, for scamming money from Buddhists to clear his gambling debts.
@zhetols วันนี้ใส่ชุดขาวจ้า สึกแล้วก็ทำอาชีพเดิมได้ 😫😩 #พระปลอม #พระแกล้งพิการ #พระปลอมตาเดียว#โหนกระแส#ข่าวช่อง8#ข่าวtiktok
♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – PTRiXBeatz – PTRiXBeatz
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