But what they got was the exact opposite.
Members of what police believe to be a transnational Romanian crime organization robbed the monks of thousands of dollars.
“I believe Karma will follow them and catch them,” Monk Jack said. “Someday.”
Strong words from the normally calm Monk Jack, one of the Wat Thai monks.
This week he looked over the security camera footage that recorded the bold daylight robbery. It started before 10 a.m. when a temple member noticed three strange men on the congregation grounds.
“(The member) thought they came for the memorial service, because maybe they are relatives,” Jack said.
As we went through the video it’s clear they weren’t there for the memorial service. Winthin minutes they rush through the monk’s living quarters and out of the building. Two of them carried bags in their hands.
“That’s my safe in my bag in his hand,” Jack said.
After the men drove off, Monk Jack went up to the monks’ rooms. He found his room ransacked and the wall safe ripped off the wall.
Inside the safe, Jack estimates there was roughly $20,000 in donations to the temple. But, in the face of this massive loss, he has a serene outlook.
“I feel sad because the thieves are human beings,” he said. “They are supposed to use life for good.”
Monk Jack said from talking to other religious leaders he has found similar robberies happened at temples and mosques across the country, including a robbery just two weeks ago at a mosque in Germantown.
"I think it’s the same guys,” he said showing WUSA9 a picture of those robbers.
But it’s not just a hunch. Montgomery County Police sent this statement:
“Detectives do believe these cases are connected and the suspects are believed to be part of a transnational Romanian organization. No suspects are in custody at this time. This is an active and ongoing investigation.”
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