Thai police donned a lion costume during this week’s lunar new year festivities to arrest a man accused of stealing about $64,000 worth of Buddhist artefacts.

Dressed as a red-and-yellow lion, officers made the arrest on Wednesday evening after responding to a report this month of a home burglary in the suburbs of Bangkok.

According to police in the capital, the break-in involved numerous Buddhist objects and two 12in Buddha statues, along with signs of repeated attempts to enter the property.

With few leads, officers kept the house under surveillance for weeks before devising an unusual plan: joining a lion dance procession at a nearby Buddhist temple. “Officers gradually moved closer to the suspect before arresting him,” police said.

Video released by the authorities shows brightly coloured lion dancers approaching the suspect before an officer suddenly emerges from the costume’s head and, with help from colleagues, wrestles him to the ground.

Police estimated the value of the stolen items at about 2m baht (£47,500).

The 33-year-old suspect had a criminal record involving drug offences and theft, police added.