Police arrested six suspects and seized three pickup trucks as they were trying to trap macaque monkeys at a temple in Phetchaburi province yesterday (Thursday).

Police also found one monkey, traps and 40 blue plastic bags used to contain the animals after their capture.

One of the suspects allegedly told the police that they had captured about 80 monkeys at Thong Chai Temple in Mueang district of Phetchaburi, which is home to many monkeys. Thetemple has become a tourist attraction and there is plenty of food provided by visiting tourists.

Acting on an investigative report, officers from the Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Division and Highways Division were dispatched to Thong Chai Temple to look for monkey thieves.

They found a man beside a pickup truck acting suspiciously and approached him for a search of the vehicle, in which they found a monkey trap. Two more pickup trucks arrived at the scene and the police stopped them for searches as well.

All six suspects, including three men and three women, were taken to Mueang district police station for questioning. They were charged with theft and trafficking in and illegal possession of protected wildlife species.

The suspects told the police that they would usually trap about 10 monkeys at a time and that the animals were sold to a middleman in Chachoengsao province, at 2,000 baht each, for export to China.