This is the dramatic moment Buddhist monks wrestled with a thief they allegedly caught stealing money from a donation box.

The abbot, Phra Atikarn Samrarn Hitkamo, was closing up the Wat Nong Ta Khong temple when he heard a loud noise coming from the preaching hall in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, on May 16.

He checked the CCTV footage and saw a man, later identified as Nathapol Suwanyotee, 27, breaking the offering box containing 1,000 THB (22 GBP) in donations, and stuffing his pockets with handfuls of cash.

Before the alleged thief could escape the building, Phra Samrarn called the other monks and cut him off from the exit.

The monks easily overpowered Nathapol despite him wielding a sharp metal weapon. Footage shows how they pinned him to the ground and bound his hands with a strip of saffron robe.

Nathapol initially denied he was stealing from the donation box, but was forced to confess after the monks pulled dozens of 20-baht (0.44 GBP) banknotes from his pockets.

Phra Samrarn said: 'The suspect confessed that he steals money from donation boxes at temples. He claims he was hired for 1,000 THB (22 GBP) per break-in, and would give all the stolen money to his employer. 

'He said they split up to steal from different temples. We believe they might be part of a network or gang.'

Nathapol was handed over to the police, who are now investigating if other people may be involved in the alleged temple raiding ring.