The son of a gold shop owner has been arrested for arranging to have fake 1,000-baht banknotes printed and using them to pay for smartphones that he ordered online.
Bang Sue police acting on a tip-off arrested Pakkawat Siriratlekha, aged 27, and his 19-year-old girlfriend in a condominium unit. Officers found seven hundred 1,000-baht fake banknotes, three smartphones and two tablets in their possession. The fake bills bear the serial number 6B6241930.
Mr Pakkawat, the son of a gold shop owner in Don Muang, admitted to police that he had used the fake bills to pay for smartphones and other products bought online at least five occasions.
The suspect said he hired a printing service in Sukhumvit Soi 50 to produce the fake bills worth 1 million baht. Each bill cost 18 baht to produce.
Police said the suspect claimed that initially he was simply planning to use the counterfeit banknotes as wallpaper in his room.
"I didn't think about the consequences of my action and I saw it as a challenge," they quoted Mr Pakkawat as saying.
Police have charged him with using fake banknotes and fraud.
Pakkawat: Using fake bills was "a challenge".