Thai police dressed up as lions during Lunar New Year celebrations this week to arrest a man accused of stealing about $64,000 worth of Buddhist artefacts.
A man dressed as a red-and-yellow lion was arrested Wednesday evening by officers responding to a report of a home burglary this month in a Bangkok suburb.
According to police in the capital, the vandalism included several Buddhist objects and two 12in Buddha statues, signs of repeated attempts to enter the property.
With few leads, the authorities put the house under surveillance for weeks before coming up with an unusual plan: joining a lion dance procession at a nearby Buddhist temple. “Officers gradually approached the suspect before arresting him,” police said.
A video released by authorities shows the dark-colored lion dancers approaching the suspect, when one officer suddenly emerges from the top of the costume and pushes him to the ground with the help of colleagues.
Police estimated the value of the stolen goods at around 2m baht (£47,500).
The 33-year-old suspect has a criminal record for drug offenses and theft, police said.
