Thai police have arrested a woman accused of blackmailing Buddhist monks using explicit photos and videos taken during alleged sexual encounters.
Authorities say the woman, known publicly as “Ms Golf,” extorted nearly 385 million baht (approximately $11.9 million) over the past three years.
At a press conference on Tuesday, police revealed that Ms Golf was involved with at least nine monks, and used thousands of compromising images and videos to demand large sums of money in return for silence.
Investigators discovered over 80,000 media files on her seized devices, believed to be central to the blackmail scheme.
The case first came to light in June 2025, when an abbot in Bangkok abruptly left the monkhood under mysterious circumstances.
Authorities later discovered he had been threatened with exposure by Ms Golf, who claimed to be pregnant by him and demanded over seven million baht in child support.
As the investigation expanded, police found that multiple monks had similarly been extorted, revealing what officials described as a “pattern” of manipulation.
Authorities also reported that much of the extorted money had been quickly withdrawn and linked to online gambling activities.
Ms Golf now faces multiple charges, including extortion, money laundering, and receiving stolen property.
