Disrobed monk arrested after fatal hit-and-run in Buriram

BURIRAM — 28 October 2026, Police arrested a 55-year-old monk who allegedly drove a car into a woman drying rice beside a road, killing her, before fleeing the scene and later hitting a buffalo, which also died. He was found hiding in an abandoned monk’s quarters in woodland behind a temple in Muang district on morning after the hit-and-run.

The suspect, identified as Phra Itthirit, known as Phra Dao, was driving a silver Toyota Corolla when he struck Rujikorn Sida Samma, 21, who was helping relatives pack dried paddy rice into fertiliser sacks beside a road in Ban Khok Charoen village, Ban Yang subdistrict, on the evening of 27 October.

The woman suffered critical injuries and later died at hospital.

Instead of stopping to help, the driver allegedly accelerated away. During his escape, he also struck and killed a buffalo.

A witness who saw the collision followed the car on a motorcycle for more than 10 kilometres before finding it abandoned at Wat Si Sawang in Isan subdistrict, Muang district. The front of the vehicle was badly damaged, but the driver was nowhere to be found.

Police searching the monk’s quarters found empty liquor bottles and unfinished snacks on a table, raising suspicions that alcohol had been consumed there.

Investigators from Muang Buriram Police Station subsequently launched a search for the driver.

At around 29 October morning, Pol Col Chamarat Siriliang, chief of Muang Buriram Police Station, led a team of investigators, together with local community leaders and residents, in surrounding woodland behind Wat Khok Charoen in Ban Yang subdistrict after receiving information that the monk was hiding there.

The team found Phra Dao inside an abandoned monk’s hut and took him into custody while he was still wearing his robes. Relatives of the deceased woman and local residents gathered to watch his arrest.

Police then took him to Wat Si Sawang to be defrocked before bringing him to the police station for questioning.

After being defrocked, the suspect denied being drunk at the time of the crash. He claimed that the liquor bottles and snacks found in his quarters belonged to a lay friend who had visited him, insisting that he had not consumed any alcohol.

He also said he had been driving from Wat Si Sawang to run an errand in Khok Charoen village. According to his account, he crossed into the opposite lane to avoid a parked vehicle near the crash site at dusk, when visibility was poor. He claimed he did not realise he had hit anyone and continued driving without knowing that a motorcyclist was following him.

He said he only learned later that he had struck a person, prompting him to hide and gather himself before police eventually caught up with him.

Police said they were not convinced by his account, citing witness statements and other evidence suggesting that he may have been driving under the influence when he struck the woman.

Investigators also learned that the suspect had bought the car second-hand for 27,000 baht. He had reportedly been ordained twice before, leaving the monkhood once after drinking alcohol and another time to have a wife, before returning to the monkhood for a third time.

Police have initially charged him with negligent driving causing death and failing to stop, render assistance, identify himself and report the accident after causing damage to another person.

Investigators said a further charge of drunk driving causing death would be considered if alcohol testing confirms that he had alcohol in his system.