A Buddhist monk was banished after being caught on CCTV stealing women's knickers.

The shaven-headed deity in orange robes snook out of his temple and was filmed skulking down an alleyway in Suphaburi, Thailand.

CCTV filmed the monk named Theeraphap Worradilok, 49, sneakily slipping six pairs of underwear that had been hung out to dry into his blue shoulder bag before scurrying away.

Homeowner Kittisak Khajornnetikhun, 40, discovered the theft later that evening after noticing his wife's and daughter's knickers were missing.

The family called the police who have now launched a manhunt for the monk after his boss at the local temple defrocked and banished him.

Kittisak, who runs a gold shop, said: ''The underwear isn't worth a lot of money. My wife can buy more, though she did like one of the pairs that were stolen.

''The most important thing is that other women should be warned about the monk. That's why we have reported it.

''It's quite funny and we're not shaken up by it so we don't want to make a fuss. But it's the right thing that he is caught for this.''

Officers interviewed the abbot who said that after being alerted to CCTV of the incident he angrily defrocked the monk and sent him packing.

He told police that the monk had claimed he had recently stopped taking prescription medicine which had made him behave strangely.

Police Colonel Phuwadit Khongpet, who is now trying to trace the former monk, said: ''It's a fact that the man in the video was a monk. We will investigate and find him.''

A Buddhist monk was banished after being caught on CCTV stealing woman's wet KNICKERS.

The shaven-headed deity in orange robes snook out of his temple and was filmed skulking down an alleyway in Suphaburi, Thailand.

CCTV filmed the monk named Theeraphap Worradilok, 49, sneakily slipping six pairs of underwear that had been hung out to dry into his blue shoulder bag before scurrying away.

Homeowner Kittisak Khajornnetikhun, 40, discovered the theft later that evening after noticing his wife's and daughter's knickers were missing.

The family called police who have now launched a manhunt for the monk after his boss at the local temple defrocked and banished him.

Kittisak, who runs a gold shop, said: ''The underwear isn't worth a lot of money. My wife can buy more, though she did like one of the pairs that were stole.

''The most important thing is that other women should be warned about the monk. That's why we have reported it.

''It's quite funny and we're not shaken up by it so we don't want to make a fuss. But it's the right thing that he is caught for this.''

Officers interviewed the abbot who said that after being alerted to CCTV of the incident he angrily defrocked the monk and sent him packing.

He told police that the monk had claimed he had recently stopped taking prescription medicine which had made him behave strangely.

Police Colonel Phuwadit Khongpet, who is now trying to trace the former monk, said: ''It's a fact that the man in the video was a monk. We will investigate and find him.''