Department director-general Preecha Kantiya also demanded that the results of the investigation be available within three days.

Phra Lek will be defrocked and legal action taken against him if his behaviour is found to have been fraudulent, Preecha said.

The move follows news reports that thousands of people flocked to Lad Tipparos Temple in Nakhon Sawan's Takhli district ahead of the June 16 lottery draw to seek winning numbers from Phra Lek. The monk was said to have given the winning numbers to people for the ninth consecutive time for the June 1 draw.

So far, none of the numbers provided by the monk have been used to claim prizes in the June 16 draw.

Preecha said the abbot of Lad Tipparos Temple would also face disciplinary action if he knowingly allowed Phra Lek to provide lucky numbers.

However, he said such disciplinary action would not be taken if the investigation found that Phra Lek had not provided lucky numbers but people had tried to interpret clues from him.

National Buddhism Bureau acting director Boonsri Panajit said the bureau's branch in Nakhon Sawan would work closely with the province's chief monk chief as well as the district's chief monk in the investigation.

Boonsri said speculating on lottery numbers was an offence under monastic rules and the Supreme Sangha Council's orders.

"Punishments vary from warnings to defrockment," she said. At the same time, she called on the media to refrain from reporting the lucky numbers.

Wichai Dhammacharoen, an academic at the bureau, said that if Phra Lek had been able to divine the winning numbers punishment would be light, possibly just a warning, though repeatedly providing the numbers would warrant defrockment. However, if Phra Lek had merely been guessing the numbers he would be forced to leave the monkhood, Wichai said.

If Phra Lek deliberately conned people into believing he knew the winning numbers he would face legal action, Wichai said.