A senior Thai Buddhist monk has been arrested after CCTV footage showed him having sex with a woman, amid allegations he embezzled around £2million meant for his monastery. Phra Wachirayan Wi, the 66-year-old abbot of the 14th-century Wat Phutthaisawan temple in Ayutthaya, was detained on Thursday alongside his 47-year-old alleged lover, who is accused of helping to launder the funds. The case has caused public outrage and is the latest in a series of scandals to hit Thailand's Buddhist clergy, following a sex and extortion case involving senior monks last year that prompted calls for greater oversight of temple finances.

Police began investigating in mid-July after an anonymous tip alleging misconduct and misuse of funds, and found that roughly 89 million baht (£2million) donated for temple renovations, plus 2.8 million baht (£63,000) from sales of Buddhist amulets, never reached the temple's account. Authorities have seized assets worth about 215 million baht (£4.8million), including 16kg of gold, jewellery and 28 land deeds, and say they are working to establish which belong to the temple. The abbot, known for his popular amulets reportedly worn by Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, was defrocked following his arrest and has not commented; investigators say the probe will be widened to identify other people involved.