Highway robbery! Man caught for misusing M-Flow booths 22 times
A motorist was finally arrested for allegedly zooming through M-Flow booths on expressways 22 times without paying a single baht in toll fees.
Sanchai (last name withheld), aged 69, was tracked down and detained by highway police on Tuesday for allegedly using a fake licence plate on his Porsche Cayenne SUV. The licence plate allowed him to drive through the M-Flow booths for free.
Police also found that Sanchai’s car had different licence plates in the front and rear. The front plate appeared to be a vanity plate that could only be obtained at auctions hosted by the Department of Land Transport (DLT). The one in the rear, meanwhile, was an ordinary licence plate.
Police were acting on a complaint filed by Thanathat (last name withheld), the real owner of the vanity plate. He said he received a notice from DLT ordering him to pay the M-Flow fee as well as late payment fines.
Investigators found that Sanchai's vehicle had passed through M-Flow booths at several expressways since March 3. Police stopped the vehicle on Liab Khlong 5 Road in Pathum Thani on Tuesday morning and handcuffed the man.
Police said the vanity plate on Sanchai’s car does not have a DLT watermark and the 10-digit serial number does not match the DLT database. The rear plate, however, does have a watermark and the serial number can be traced.
Sanchai was charged with using a fake licence plate and using the expressway without paying toll fees. He has reportedly confessed to the charges.
Police have warned motorists to obey the law when passing through the M-Flow booths, as CCTV footage can be used as evidence to track down those who misuse the system.
The M-Flow system was introduced just last year in a bid to reduce congestion. The M-Flow gates have no barrier or cashier. Users are required to register their preferred toll-fee payment method online before they can start using the system.
