A motorist's claimed fascination with police landed him in trouble when he was caught driving around in a pickup truck he had modified to look like a CSD patrol vehicle.
Thanont Wattanachartwong, 30, of Nonthaburi, was apprehended in the car park of a condominium building in Rama 9 area of Huai Khwang district, Bangkok, in the early hours of Tuesday by police commandos from the Crime Suppression Division (CSD).
Also seized was a Ford Everest pickup truck with Ubon Ratchathani licence plates. The vehicle was equipped with a siren and done up with stickers to look like a police patrol vehicle, including a CSD badge on the doors.
Pol Col Torsak Sukwimol, head of the CSD commando unit, said they were acting on a report from a caller of a car looking very like a CSD patrol vehicle seen cruising in the Rama 9 area. The vehicle aroused the caller's suspicions with its Ubon Ratchathani plates, so he alerted the CSD, Pol Col Torsak said.
CSD police sent to investigate found it parked at the condominium building. They waited until a man showed up and walked towards the vehicle. It was Mr Thanont and it was his pickup, and he was arrested.
During interrogation, Mr Thanont claimed his fascination for the police motivated him to modify his pickup to look like a patrol car. He said he had no intention of using the vehicle for anything illegal.
He was initially charged with illegally equipping his vehicle with a siren, and then handed over to Makkasan police for further legal action.
Pol Col Torsak said he had ordered CSD police to crack down on vehicles found resembling official cars. He also asked people to help by acting as the eyes and ears of the authorities.
He warned that motorists who illegally fit sirens to their vehicles would be liable to a jail term of up to one year and a fine of 2,000 baht.
Mr Thanont (left) helps police remove stickers forming the word ''police'', the CSD badge and other details from his pickup. (Photo by Wassayos Ngamkham)
