BMW driver arrested for using fake registration plate to waive toll fees

Police swooped on a Thai woman who used a fake registration plate on her BMW sedan to illegally waive toll fees more than 260 times.

The arrest was made at Thanyaburi and Thab Chang Tollgate yesterday, June 26. The Highway Police had installed an automatic license reading system at these toll gates specifically to identify vehicles suspected of dodging toll charges. The targeted vehicle was a black BMW 520d displaying a red registration plate with the number ก 8888.

With the assistance of the license reading system, the police closely monitored the car and established checkpoints at frequent passing spots. Their efforts paid off when they successfully captured the 35 year old driver, identified as Thanatsupha. Following an investigation and interrogation, it was revealed that the registration plate on the BMW was counterfeit and had been used to avoid toll fees more than 260 times, accumulating a cost of over 7,000 baht.

According to the police report, the fake registration plate closely resembled a genuine one, bearing the Land Traffic Department logo. However, it lacked the department-issued watermark and 10-digit numbers. Thanatsupha admitted to purchasing the counterfeit plate online through a Facebook application. She claimed that she had recently acquired the car and was waiting to replace the counterfeit plate with a legally registered one, preferably with auspicious numbers from the official website.

Despite her use of the fake plate, Thanatsupha maintained that she had never passed through tollgates without paying the appropriate fees. She asserted that she consistently paid the toll charges, despite the counterfeit registration plate.

Initially, Thanatsupha was charged with producing and utilising forged official documents, which carries a potential prison sentence ranging from six months to five years, along with a fine ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 baht. Police officers also highlighted the prevalence of red registration plates bearing the number ก 8888. They emphasized that employing counterfeit registration plates could result in fines up to ten times the outstanding balance.

A similar incident took place in April of this year when a Thai man was apprehended for using a counterfeit registration plate on his Porsche. Interestingly, the fake plate resembled the legitimate plate registered to the owner of a Mercedes Benz sedan, who incurred fines despite not committing any violations.