Thai police disguise themselves in dragon costumes to arrest thief

Thai police make an arrest in dragon costume. Photo / Facebook

Thai police disguised themselves in dragon costumes to arrest a thief suspected of stealing Buddhist artefacts.

Officers hid inside the red costume during Bangkok’s lunar new year festivities to follow the suspect after responding to reports of a burglary in the city’s suburbs.

Video footage shows one police officer bursting out of the costume’s head and, with his colleagues’ assistance, tackling the man to the floor before arresting him.

The 33-year-old suspect is accused of stealing several valuable Buddhist items, including two 30cm Buddha statues, from a senior officer’s home after a break-in.

Police estimated the value of the stolen items to be around 2 million baht ($107,000).

Investigators found signs of forced entry at the property and the suspect later returned before fleeing when spotted.

Police traced some of the stolen items to a seller known as “Jojo the Outlaw”, believed to frequent temples in Bang Bua Thong, Nonthaburi.

Officers had previously attempted to arrest him at one such temple, but he had grown suspicious and managed to escape before they could close in.

Police kept the senior officer’s home under surveillance for weeks, hoping the suspect would return there, but he never did.

Thai police arrest in dragon costume. Photo / Facebook

They were tipped off that the suspect planned to meet associates at temples in Sai Noi district on Wednesday.

Officers began their undercover operation there, close to the temple, while posing as members of a traditional lion dance troupe to avoid detection in the crowded festival setting.

Lion dancing is a deeply embedded tradition in Thai culture, particularly during lunar new year celebrations, making the disguise an ideal cover for plain-clothes officers operating in a temple environment filled with performers, worshippers and market vendors.

Videos shared online show the officers swaying rhythmically to the beat of drums as they scanned the crowd for their target.

Once located, they pounced and tackled the suspect to the ground before ditching the costume entirely to complete the arrest.

Footage of the unusual sting operation has since gone viral, with many calling it one of the most inventive – and comical – arrests caught on camera.

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