Rayong cops bust bunk monks caught out by bizarro behavior

Rayongers might not have made much of seven monks doing their alms rounds last night, at least not until they demanded cash-only donations and shoveled sticky rice and chicken into their mouths.

Noticing their strange behavior – monks are supposed to fast after noon – police officers discovered that the robed holy men were, surprise surprise, just some regular guys looking for handouts.

The authorities swiftly arrested the fake monks – all of whom stand accused of shaving their heads and donning robes in various hues to scam people – and took them to the nearby Wat Krasae Bon.

There, Noppadon Natataro (actually a monk) searched the impostors’ bags and found most were not carrying certified monk credentials. 

One of the men who did have monk papers, identified only as Vina, said he it off a real monk for THB5,000 (US$155). The faux ascetic admitted…