Undercover cops in Thailand
Like any police force in the world, the Royal Thai Police Force has trained undercover police officers for special circumstances.
However, it’s not often that a civilian goes “undercover” – disguises themselves – as a cop. Recently, news surfaced about Mr. Praiwan Gamolsingh, who used his privilege as a “police officer” to score discounts and other rewards at Rai Rung Pol resort.
Funny news around Thailand:
- YouTuber fined for Spartan cosplay while driving motorbike
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“Officer” becomes a loyal customer at Chiang Mai resort
Mr. Gamolsingh checked in at Rai Rung Pol resort on 7th April 2021 under the alias, “Rong Um”, which translates to “Deputy Commissioner Um”, and informed the staff that he was stationed at Chiang Mai’s Provincial Region 5 precinct.
Image credit: Kapook
It seems that Rong Um frequented the establishment as well – the resort’s General Manager, Mr. Suchart Bentanoot shared that he was quite the regular customer and once even brought 3-4 of his fellow “officers” for a 2-night stay in March, reported Kapook.
This time, the “Deputy Commissioner” booked one of the resort’s Bubble Rooms which costs were from ฿2,500 (~USD80) per night from 7th-21st April 2021. However, due to his position in the force, Rong Um only had to pay a special rate of ฿900 (~USD29) per night to stay in one of the luxe rooms.
Image credit: Kapook
According to resort staff, Mr. Gamolsingh was spotted around the resort in his “uniform” daily, even when it was time to sip wine and enjoy fine foods at the resort’s restaurants. Occasionally, he even invited non-guests to dine with him.
“Deputy commissioner” busted
The bill for his stay tallied up to ฿27,556 (~USD890). While he was seen living his best life and enjoying his discounted stay around the resort, Mr. Gamolsingh’s demeanor suddenly changed when he was asked to settle his tab.
His behaviour aroused suspicion from the hotel staff, who then required the “Deputy Commissioner” to pay his fees as well as show his identification card, which displayed his real name.
Mr. Gamolsingh’s confiscated uniform
Image credit: Matichon
To smooth things over, Mr. Gamolsingh paid ฿14,000 (~USD446) to the resort and still continued to stay there – the rest of his tab was still unpaid. However, the resort notified the real police, who later arrested the imposter and confiscated all of his “law enforcement attire”.
The “Deputy Commissioner” will be charged for impersonating an officer of the law, on top of pre-existing arrest warrants regarding bank loans.
Police uniforms can be bought
Police uniforms can be bought fairly easily in Thailand, because it’s compulsory for Thai law enforcement officers to buy their equipment and attire. However, it’s an offense to wear an official police uniform in Thailand as well as other nations.
The moral of the story is that pretentious acts can really lead one to a huge legal pitfall.
Crime related stories:
- Burglar woke up to police arrest
- Woman calls police 227 times to complain about “ghost”
- Thai police seized 6 cats In drug bust
- Thai inspector goes undercover as a monk
Cover images adapted from: MGR Online (Left), Kapook (Right)
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