Police in Thailand have arrested a sectarian leader whose followers allegedly worshiped corpses and consumed body fluids after 11 bodies were found during a surprise search by authorities.
Loyal supporters of Tawi Narna started screaming and moving against the police as the bearded, half-naked white-haired man was handcuffed to a patrol car after a police raid on his home, in the depths of a jungle in Chayapum Province.
Authorities said they found 11 bodies at the 75-year-old’s home and local media outlets reported that the bodies belonged to his followers.
A cult leader in Thailand who allegedly asked his followers to eat his waste, including excreta, mucus and dandruff, has been arrested by police after 11 dead bodies found in his home near Chaiyaphum. Thawee Nanra, 75, claimed that he could cure illnesses. pic.twitter.com/7aO1JsIG8N
– hurriyatpk (@ hurriyatpk1) May 11, 2022
The provincial governor said Narna had at least a dozen followers living with him and that coffins with corpses were scattered around the house.
Believers first told him that the leader’s urine and phlegm were a cure for disease.
“It is quite disturbing to see that there are people who believe in such superstitions today. But this is no longer just a personal belief. “We have corpses and we will have to work with all the services to prove the facts about these people,” said the local governor.
While the vast majority of the Thai population embraces Buddhism, many people have superstitious beliefs, including the worship of local spirits and the fear of ghosts.
इस \ ‘ढोंगी बाबा \’ के पास से मिलीं 11 लाशें, अपने चेलों को देता था मल-मूत्र खाने की की#ThaweeNanra
👉 https://t.co/1w0hnjbwnw
#HindiNews #Navabharat– NavaBharat (@enavabharat) May 11, 2022
Authorities believe the sect has existed for more than four years without anyone realizing it, because the location of the leader’s house was in a remote forest area, away from other communities.
But her case was uncovered when the daughter of one of the faithful turned to a social media celebrity seeking to expose the country’s ruthless religious figures.
Narna was initially charged with trespassing on a forest area – as his home is said to be on public land – and illegal gatherings, which are banned under coronavirus restrictions.
There were chaotic scenes on Sunday (5/8) local time, when police officers visited the home of #ThaweeNanra (75), a self-proclaimed shaman & leader of a sect, where followers worship corpses & consume bodily fluids that are believed to cure disease. #SEAToday #SEATodayNews pic.twitter.com/KCj7Df1Sjr
– SEA Today News (@seatodaynews) May 10, 2022
Police now say they are investigating other charges, including smuggling corpses.
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Huffingtonpost source with information from Skynews