Undercover police work often involves disguises, surveillance and patience. In Samut Prakan on Saturday night, it also involved a "moo krata" grill.
What looked like a casual roadside barbecue was actually a sting operation targeting illegal motorcycle racers.
Bang Phli police launched the operation after receiving repeated complaints from residents and motorists about youths gathering to modify and race motorcycles late at night.
The operation targeted Chalerm Phrakiat Road in Nong Prue subdistrict, where residents said illegal racing had become a frequent nuisance and raised fears of serious accidents. A team of 16 officers, both plainclothes and uniformed, took part.
Rather than waiting in patrol cars, undercover officers posed as local residents, setting up folding tables, cooking equipment and a roadside moo krata feast. Blending in with the usual weekend crowd, they quietly observed youths gathering in the area.
When officers spotted a group preparing to race, they alerted police units stationed nearby, who moved in to surround and detain the suspects.
Police later expanded the operation to Leab Klong Song Nam Suvarnabhumi Road (Suvarnabhumi Irrigation Canal Road), another location that had drawn complaints about illegal motorcycle racing.
The crackdown resulted in the seizure of four motorcycles and the detention of eight youths, who were handed over to investigators for further legal action.
