Bogus policeman arrested for extorting Bangkok lottery sellers
FILE PHOTO
A man has been arrested for allegedly disguising himself as a policeman to extort money and lottery tickets from at least two lottery ticket vendors who sold overpriced tickets in Bangkok.
40 year old Poramin Sartsomboon has been arrested over the matter.
Police say Poramin was arrested on Sunday after parking his car in front of Thepsirin Temple, where he allegedly intended seeking out further ticket vendors on whom to prey.
He said the suspect dressed himself as a policeman and carried a fake police ID card that stated his name as “Pol Lieutenant Phakin Linpituphak”.
Plapplachai police station conducted an investigation that led to Poramin’s arrest after two lottery vendors had filed complaints with the station on March 14 and 15.
The vendors had allegedly been extorted by Poramin in separate incidents while selling lottery tickets in front of the temple. They said Poramin had claimed to be an officer from the police taskforce suppressing economic crimes.
The two victims say Poramin had found them selling overpriced lottery tickets, taken them into his car and told them that they would be taken to his police station.
However, on the way, Poramin intimidated them into paying him a bribe in exchange for their release, telling them they would face a heavy fine at the police station if they refused to do so.
One of the victims gave Poramin 10,000 baht, but the other gave him 70 lottery tickets as he did not have enough cash, according to police.
The fake policeman often hunted for prey a few days before the lottery draws on the 1st and 16th of each month, he added.
SOURCE: The Nation
