Bangkok police stunned after homeless man presents police ID
Officers from Prawet Police Station, Bangkok, were left surprised after stopping a shirtless man during a routine patrol yesterday, January 20, only to find out he was carrying a police ID badge showing the rank of police captain.
The incident occurred in a community area along the motorway frontage road in Bangkok’s Prawet district. According to a post on the Prawet Police Station Facebook page, officers were on patrol when they encountered a man who appeared to be homeless, barefoot, and with unkept hair. Officers requested identification.
To their shock, the man pulled out a government-issued police ID card that listed him as a commissioned officer with the rank of Police Captain. The man confidently told the officers that he was not homeless but an undercover cop on a secret assignment to gather intelligence in the local area.
In a light-hearted Facebook post, Prawet Police jokingly said the man’s appearance and confidence were so convincing, it was hard to tell whether he was an extremely committed undercover police officer or someone genuinely unstable.
The story quickly went viral on Thai social media, with many amused by both the incident and the tone of the post.
However, TV presenter Sorayuth Suthassanachinda revealed today, January 21, that the man was, in fact, not a police officer. According to Pol. Col. Tossaphol Amphaipipatkul, superintendent of Prawet Police Station, the man was confirmed to be homeless.
The ID card is believed to be an old or lost badge belonging to a Metropolitan Police Bureau officer, which the man may have found and kept. Officers have since documented his details and are working to trace any family connections.
In a similar incident last May, a homeless man left motorists confused after performing a martial arts-like dance in the middle of a busy road. At first, witnesses feared he was armed, but it turned out he was simply holding an umbrella.
