Mr Veerasak (full name withheld) was apprehended at a "traffic discipline checkpoint" in Chumphon, as reported by the Highway Police on Friday (Sept 22).
The man was returning from Sisaket to Phuket in his gray Toyota Fortuner bearing green and white license plates with the identification number "ชข 4231 Phuket”.
The driver was flagged down at the checkpoint due to the absence of a road tax sticker on his windshield. Subsequent checks by officers revealed that the license plates were completely fake.
According to the national database, Mr Veerasak’s car was still registered as a private vehicle under the number "กต 4621 Surat Thani”, not as a green-plate taxi "ชข 4231 Phuket”.
With evidence presented to him, Mr Veerasak admitted that he purchased the Fortuner outside of Phuket before the COVID-19 pandemic and later relocated to the island in search of employment.
A friend suggested he work as a taxi driver, but Mr Veerasak failed to properly register the vehicle with the Phuket Land Transport Office (PLTO) as he was not a local resident.
Still pursuing a taxi driver’s career, Mr Veerasak purchased green and white plates via LINE for B20,000 and had been using them since 2019 until his recent apprehension while returning to Phuket from Isan.
The fake taxi driver was taken to Tha Sae Police Station in Chumphon to face charges accordingly. Highway Police have not disclosed the penalties he may face in relation to the police charges and PLTO charges (if any).