A former grilled-chicken vendor was arrested for impersonating an army captain to collect bogus fees from community radio stations in Ratchaburi, police said.
Prathinthip Sudprasert, 26, of Ratchaburi's Ban Pong district, was apprehended late Wednesday at a radio station in tambon Bang Tanod in Photharam district following an investigation into accusations the woman had donned a fake military uniform to collect money from several community stations for "signal inspection" fees, police said.
Ms Prathinthip was caught wearing a military uniform with the rank of an army captain supposedly attached to the Directorate of Joint Communications, according to Maj Chop Penmuen of the Srisuriyawong military camp and Pol Lt Col Chartchai Donchai, a deputy chief of Phothram police station.
The woman's army identification card, bearing the name as Capt Kornsiri Jaritcharoen, was seized. Checks found the officer named was not in the military. She was taken to the Photaram police station for questioning.
During interrogation, Ms Prathinthip confessed she used to earn her living by selling grilled chickens in Ban Pong district. She later moved in with a relative at a military flat in Bangkok. During her stay, she came up with the idea to make quick cash by impersonating a military captain, police said.
Authorities said she then falsified identification and army cards and other official documents to deceive community radio stations in Ratchaburi that the Directorate of Joint Communications sent her to inspect radio frequencies and transmitters. She had duped operators of those radio stations into paying 1,000 baht each for the inspection fees.
She told police that heavy family burdens forced her to be a bogus officer to earn money to feed her two children.
Police have initially charged her with impersonating a military officer and falsifying official documents. She was held in police custody for legal action.