In Thailand’s northeastern province of Buriram, a 45-year-old man found himself in trouble with the highway police after trying to outsmart them with a deceptive strategy. He attempted to avoid speeding tickets by covering his vehicle’s number plate with a sticker, leading the traffic police on a complex search.
The strange incident began when a Mercedes-Benz owner reported receiving multiple speeding tickets at his address. The vehicle captured in the violation images had the same number plate, but he was certain that his Mercedes-Benz was not involved in the speeding incidents. Furthermore, he had never been to Buriram on the dates of the detected violations. So, he asked the police to investigate the vehicle in the pictures.
Police Lieutenant Colonel Nattirut Wattanachatrat of the Buriram Highway Police conducted a thorough investigation, examining CCTV footage along the suspect’s route. Their efforts revealed a black Mercedes-Benz frequently seen within Buriram Province, as reported by KhaoSod.
The turning point came when the suspect vehicle was spotted in the Samet sub-district in Buriram’s Mueang district and pulled over for inspection. The suspect, Chawalit, was driving the accused Mercedes-Benz. He confessed that he had bought the car with the license plate 6 กว 2222 Bangkok at an auction for 199,000 baht (US$5,801).
Chawalit vehemently denied any malicious intent, claiming that the sticker on his number plate was playfully put there by his child. However, the traffic police didn’t believe his explanation, suspecting that he had placed the sticker to avoid detection. As a result, he was charged with using an illegitimate license plate, in violation of the motor vehicle act of 1979, articles 11 and 60. He was required to correct his license plate to the appropriate standard, and the true owner of the license plate was notified.
