Four men impersonating Pattaya traffic police were arrested after a real officer thwarted their alleged plot to extort motorists out of illegal parking fees.
Suriyan Khongdai, 29, Montree Khetjai, 30, Akhrawat Rungruangkit, 28, Saenrak Meesutha, 46, were taken into custody on Second Road near the Dolphin Roundabout Aug. 17 after an urgent call for assistance from Sen. Sgt. Maj. Somsree Seema.
Somsree said he had gone to the area to write tickets for cars parked in clearly visible “no parking” zones. As he did, he said he was confronted by the four men wearing traffic-police uniforms.
Three of the four men arrested for illegally collecting parking fees along Second Road near the Dolphin Roundabout.
Somsree said the four tried to intimidate him into stopping his ticket-writing, as they’d been charging motorists 60 baht each to park in the illegal zones. When Somsree refused, he said the four, believed to part of an organized crime gang, threatened him and he called for backup.
Deputy Suppression Division commander Lt. Col. Kiattisak Srathongoil said the four men were charged with obstructing police actions, disrespecting a uniformed officer, and impersonating police. He said he also would have charged the four with theft, but none of the people who paid the illegal-parking fees complained to police.
