In a bizarre twist of events, a man in Thailand who donned a police outfit to surprise his girlfriend during her graduation ceremony ended up being charged with impersonating an officer.
The man, a 30-year-old teacher, had hoped to make his girlfriend’s special day even more memorable, but found himself at the centre of a legal drama after renting a police colonel’s uniform for the occasion.
The incident occurred on 6 Nov, when the vendor who rented out the outfit filed a police report after a payment issue.
According to Khaosod, the man had paid for the uniform via a bank app, but the payment never went through, leaving the vendor with a payment of ฿12,000 (S$486) missing.
This was reportedly equivalent to her entire monthly salary.
The vendor explained that the man arrived at the store around 3pm, eager to rent the police uniform. He told her that he needed it quickly to surprise his girlfriend at her graduation.
After the outfit was ready, he changed into it and left the store. It was only later that the vendor realised the payment had failed, prompting her to file a police report.
Despite the issue, the vendor continued to reach out to the man, and by the evening, he returned to settle the payment, paying an additional ฿8,000 (S$324) to cover damages.
The store then decided not to pursue further legal action.
Source: Khaosod
However, the story took a turn when police discovered the man was not actually a police officer.
Despite renting the outfit and wearing it to the event, he had no official status and was consequently charged with impersonating an officer.
The man, who admitted to the act, claimed he simply wanted to surprise his girlfriend. It had been his dream to become a police officer, but he was unable to pass the exams.
He explained that he had seen similar gestures in TV performances and stage acts and believed that dressing up as a police officer would be harmless, unaware of the legal implications of impersonating an officer.
Meanwhile, his 28-year-old girlfriend said she was bewildered by his decision. She said she was confused when he showed up to the graduation wearing the outfit because she knew he was not a police officer.
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Featured image adapted from Khaosod and โหนกระแส on Facebook.