LAMPANG -- After finding that police had clamped a wheel on his double-parked Honda City on a busy road in downtown Muang district on Monday morning, the owner promptly replaced it with a spare wheel and drove off.
The man later took the clamped wheel to Lampang police station in order to pay the fine for illegal parking.
After receiving numerous complaints about double-parked cars on Rob Wieng road, Lampang police clamped the wheels of the offending vehicles.
In the usual course of events, car owners then pay a fine to the police in order to get their wheels unlocked.
Traffic police Pol Sen Sgt Maj Thanatip Klakom, who clamped the Honda City's wheel himself, was bemused to discover that the vehicle had vanished without the owner paying the fine.
He said traders in the area informed him that the car owner had replaced the wheel and driven away - taking the wheel, with the police clamp still attached, with him.
Pol Sen Sgt Maj Thanatip reported the incident to his boss. Soon afterwards, the 33-year-old car owner showed up at the police station carrying the clamped wheel. He explained that since he did not have enough money to pay the fine, his only recourse was to borrow the money from a friend - and he needed the car to reach the friend.
The man said he had no intention of fleeing from justice, and had never previously violated any traffic laws.
“It was first time getting a traffic ticket, and he did not realise that he would have to pay an additional penalty for stealing state property,” said the police.
Pol Lt Boonchuay Panyama, deputy inspector for the traffic police, said the public should take this case as a stern reminder that they need to pay the fine before requesting that their wheel be unlocked.