Police have caught 12 people hunting animated creatures in the popular Pokemon Go game while driving on main roads in Bangkok.
They were nabbed at the start of a police campaign to prevent accidents caused by careless drivers playing the game, acting city police chief Sanit Mahathavorn said Monday.
Eight of the 12 people stopped for allegedly violating the Land Transport Act which bans the use of a mobile phone while driving were caught on Sukhumvit Road.
Two others were stopped on Rama IV Road and the other two on Ramkhamhaeng Road, Pol Lt Gen Sanit added. Each driver was fined up to 1,000 baht, he said.
City police launched the "Pokemon Traffic No Go" campaign, which also limits the areas where players can catch the game's animated creatures, on Sunday.
The move comes after police noticed a rise in the number of road accidents following the game's release.
Roads and streets off-limits to Pokemon hunters include Sukhumvit, Phaya Thai, Rama I, Rama IV, and Henri Dunant. Sathon, Phetchaburi, Phahon Yothin and Vibhavadi Rangsit roads as well as the Victory Monument are also out of bounds.
A team of 50 officers equipped with mobile phone cameras patrols the city's main roads looking to catch players violating the driving regulation.