Thai Woman Arrested For Blackmailing Buddhist Monks With Thousands Of Their Sex Videos

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A Thai woman has been nabbed by the police for allegedly seducing Buddhist monks and blackmailing them for millions

According to AP News, the woman, 35-year-old Wilawan Emsawat — known by the nickname Sika Kor, or "Ms. Golf" — had engaged in sexual relations with the monks, then extorted them by threatening to release photos and videos of the acts.

At least nine monks were targeted, according to Thai police. Emsawat allegedly received around 385 million baht (around RM50 million) over a three-year period.

A search of her house in Nonthaburi district uncovered up to 80,000 photos and videos involving many senior monks, reportedly used to blackmail them.

Emsawat is now facing charges of extortion, money laundering, and receiving stolen goods.

The scandal came to light when the abbot of the Wat Tri Tossathep temple suddenly left the monkhood and disappeared in June

According to the BBC, police had found out about a 'relationship' between the abbot and a woman later identified as Emsawat, who claimed to be pregnant with his baby and demanded more than 7 million baht (around RM916,000) in child support.

Allegedly, when he refused to give Emsawat the money after finding out the pregnancy was false, she leaked their private conservations with other senior monks. Following this, the abbot fled.

Tracing their bank transfers, Thai authorities then discovered that other monks had transferred money to Emsawat as well.

According to police, Emsawat intentionally targeted senior monks as her modus operandi

According to Prasong Chalermpan, commander of the police Anti-Corruption Division, Emsawat reportedly burned through most of the 385 million baht transferred to her over the years.

Most of the money was used on online gambling sites, where the biggest bets she would place amounted to 500,000 baht (around RM65,000) each.

By the time of her arrest, she had 8,000 baht (RM1,048) left in her accounts.

At least nine abbots and senior monks involved in the scandal with Emsawat have since been disrobed and cast out of the monkhood, said the Royal Thai Police Central Investigation Bureau.

The scandal is not the first to hit Thailand's revered Buddhist institution

In 2018, a monk was sentenced to prison for a multitude of crimes, namely fraud, money laundering, abducting a minor under 15, and rape.

In 2022, every monk in a Phetchabun province temple was dismissed when they tested positive for methamphetamine, as per CBS News.

And in 2024, a popular monk, Phra Ajarn Khom, along with several co-conspirators allegedly embezzled up to 182 million baht (around RM23 million) from a temple in Nakhon Ratchasima province, according to the Bangkok Post. Gold bars and jewellery were also uncovered by police in the temple compound.

The Thai government is now reportedly pushing for harsher penalties, including imprisonment, for monks who violate their religious codes.