A Buddhist monk with a checkered history was arrested over drugs, porn, and gambling.

Phra Phanumat, 51, was detained at a train station in Bangkok, Thailand, on May 23.

He reportedly had a record of drug abuse before being ordained, and had fled the charges by becoming a monk.

Footage shows the holy man in saffron robes being escorted out of the Kamphaeng Phet Railway Station. A search of his phone also found that he frequented online gambling and porn sites, breaking his monastic vows.

A spokesman for the Technology Crime Suppression Division that carried out the arrest said Phanumat was caught on a warrant issued by the Nonthaburi Provincial Court on May 15.

The officer said: 'Police received a tip-off that Mr. Phanumat, the suspect in the warrant, was staying in Surat Thani province. He was passing through Bangkok while taking the train to a temple in Rayong. Previously, he had relocated from another temple in Sisaket.

'The arresting police officers inspected the area and found him at the train station. He admitted he was the subject of the warrant.'

Police said Phanumat had previously faced a string of drug-related charges, including meth use and possession in 2008, 2011, 2014, and 2024.

He had found refuge in monkhood, and evaded arrest by moving from temple to temple.

Phanumat allegedly confessed to the charges. He was taken to the Nonthaburi Provincial Court for further legal proceedings.

The arrest comes after a greedy temple abbot was detained for allegedly stealing more than nine million US dollars of donations to splurge on his mistress.

Yaem Inkrungkao, 60, was said to have siphoned the temple funds into his personal bank account to spoil his girlfriend Aranyawan Wangthapan, 28, in exchange for nude videos of herself.

His schemes, dating back to 2020, came to light following a tip-off to police about his suspicious financial activities at the Wat Rai Khing temple in Nakhon Pathom.

Yaem surrendered to the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) in Bangkok on May 15 and voluntarily disrobed later that evening.

Thai Buddhist monks over the years have faced several scandals involving financial misconduct, sexual affairs, and drug use, which have eroded public trust in the clergy.

In November 2024, a Buddhist monastery in Phichit province was raided after authorities 41 cadavers 'being used for meditation' at the site.

While in November 2022, a Buddhist temple in Phetchabun province was left empty when all of the monks were tested positive for methamphetamine.

In 2019, the documentary Come and See exposed controversies surrounding Wat Phra Dhammakaya, one of Thailand's largest and most influential Buddhist temples.