Woman Faces Jail for Making Up Story of Being Robbed By Taxi Driver in Thailand

Thai police have now filed charges against the 26-year-old woman who filed a report on Wednesday claiming she was attacked and robbed by a taxi driver after a night out in the town, which she later posted on Facebook and became viral in Thailand.

According to reports, the woman, identified as Thongprakai Suksriraj, filed the complaint at Lat Prao Police Station at 3:45 a.m. on February 21. She said that her handbag was taken from her with cash inside it amounting to 14,000 Thai baht ($445) along with ATM cards and ID cards.

The incident occurred at the Nida intersection while in a cab that she hailed from the local entertainment area, Ratchadaphisek, to her condominium unit in Seri Thai.

She came in the police station all bloodied up with wounds on her arms. However, investigators were not entirely convinced by her story, so they immediately interrogated her, which lasted for hours.

During the investigation, security footage from along the route revealed that she in fact took a cab ride home, but she did not stop at any intersection or even got out of the taxi to withdraw money as what was claimed in her testimony.

Security camera footage from the condominium also showed Thongprakai entered the building alone. However, she went out again 30 minutes later while being accompanied by a friend.

Thongprakai confessed during her interrogation that her wounds were self-inflicted.

“The wounds were self-inflicted with a razor. I did it under stress. At that moment, I thought there was no way out. I felt under tremendous pressure. Now, the stress is heavier,” she told the media, The Nation reported.

“I filed the complaint because my friend led me to, because she was concerned about me. She thought [my story] was real, so the issue escalated out of control.”

“I would like to offer my apology to all taxi drivers for damaging their reputation,” she said as she raised her hand.

Thongprakai is facing two charges, including filing false statements with the authorities, which carries a maximum jail time of three years as well as a maximum fine of 5,000 Thai baht ($158), according to Lard Prao police chief Pol Colonel Passakorn Ratanapanadda.

She is also charged with violating the computer crime act when she made a post on her Facebook account, detailing the lie about the taxi driver attack. This could land her a maximum of five years in jail time and a fine of 100,000 Thai baht ($3,179).

Images via Facebook / Taxi Report TH

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