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Thai police raided a Buddhist temple today on the outskirts of Bangkok in a bid to arrest a monk facing criminal charges including allegedly accepting $40 million in embezzled money.

Officers began raiding the site after previous attempts were thwarted when thousands of the monk’s devotees turned up in his defence.

The Wat Dhammakaya temple was earlier placed under military control.

The spiritual leader is believed to be hiding inside the large compound.

Phra Dhammajayo is accused of embezzling funds from the huge temple in Bangkok, but when officers attempted to search the site last June they were blocked by his supporters.

The 72-year-old abbot has remained inside the temple for months, saying he is too ill to face officials. He denies the allegations and says they are politically motivated.