Patients at Chai Nat Narenthorn Hospital in Thailand were briefly alarmed on Monday (Aug 10) after a monk waiting outside the pharmacy appeared to be carrying a handgun.
Police were called to the hospital after members of the public noticed what looked like the black grip of a firearm sticking out from the pocket of the monk’s outer robe.
Officers who arrived at the scene discovered that the suspicious-looking object was actually a plastic imitation gun attached to a mobile phone case.
Police removed and seized the item, while warning the monk that the unusual phone case could easily cause panic in public places, even if there was no intention to threaten anyone.
The monk, who is from Noen Kham district in Chai Nat, reportedly told police that he had purchased the phone case through TikTok because he found it comfortable to hold.
He explained that he had visited the hospital for a scheduled medical appointment and to collect prescribed medication.
The monk reportedly assured officers that he would no longer use the phone case, bringing an otherwise worrying incident to a harmless conclusion.
The incident also highlights how realistic-looking imitation weapons can easily be mistaken for genuine firearms, particularly in crowded public locations such as hospitals.
