NAKHON RATCHASIMA — Police arrested a 47-year-old amulet seller who allegedly spent 20 years making his wife, two sisters and the public believe he was a high-ranking police officer.
Police apprehended Phumipat Loedthanawan at a house in tambon Nai Maung of Muang district on Tuesday and seized 12 pistols, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, a bulletproof vest, police uniforms, insignia and three police caps.
Pol Col Thummanoon Chimwong, investigative chief at Provincial Police Region 3, said Mr Phumipat posted pictures of himself wearing police uniforms and the insignia of a lieutenant general on his multiple Facebook accounts while falsely claiming he was a classmate of several senior officers at the Thai Royal Police Cadet Academy.
Mr Phumipat allegedly also wore the fake uniform to attend official ceremonies held in the province to deceive other people about his identity.
During questioning, Pol Col Thummanoon said the amulet vendor told police he just fell in love with the police uniform and had wanted to wear once since he was a boy.
He said his wife of 25 years did not know he was actually a phoney policeman, nor did his two daughters, ages 25 and 22. He said his relatives also believed he had been serving as a policeman all these years.
Mr Phumipat was charged with wearing a police uniform without permission, possession of unlicensed guns and registered guns owned by other people, and possession of ammunition without permission.
Police planned to investigate further if the suspect had conned anyone using his bogus identity, Pol Col Thummanoon added.