Pakistani man arrested in Thailand for using fake license plates and evading highway tolls
Thai Highway Police arrested 43 year old Pakistani national for using fake vehicle registration plates and evading the M-Flow motorway fare system. He was pulled over while driving on the Kanchanaphisek Road, on the outbound lane heading towards Bang Pa-In in East Ring, on July 11 around 10pm.
According to Lieutenant Colonel Prachya Kamlasatphitak, who commanded the operation, the arrest followed the instructions of the Highway Police Station Chief, Police Lieutenant General Charoonkiat Pankeaw, who instructed all highway police to apprehend vehicles with fake plates or vehicles evading the M-Flow system.
These acts of evasion not only constitute criminal offences but are also challenging for the police in the event of accidents and result in revenue losses, impacting road and bridge improvements and developments.
The said car, a Mercedes Benz with the registration plate number ช 5505, Bangkok, was one of many vehicles previously intercepted for using a forged red plate and was amongst those with high outstanding M-Flow debts. Despite ongoing investigations and, with the driver still at large, Highway Police Number 2, and Highway Police Unit 8, decided to conduct a data analysis of the offending vehicle’s travel patterns, including probable timings of usage and location, reported KhaoSod.
Yesterday, July 11, around 10.30pm, a black Mercedes Benz with the same plate number was sighted, matching the description of the rogue vehicle. Upon checking, Mohammad Sulaiman emerged as the driver, and the physical inspection of the licence plate revealed inconsistencies with genuine plates. Besides, a second white plate, number 3 กณ 13 Bangkok, for the same vehicle, was also found during a search, which Mohammad explained was kept by his wife.
Mohammad defended that the contentious red plate was provided by a company when they bought the car about two years ago, and he was not aware it was forged. Consequently, on the charges of “forging or using forged official documents,” he was handed over to the investigating officers at Bang Chan Police Station.
Furthermore, a study of the data from the Department of Highways revealed that the vehicle had been noted for its failure to pay the M-Flow toll for a total of 422 trips, thereby violating the law that stipulates the payment for using highways or bridges.
The Department of Highways is all set to take further action relevant to these issues.
