Thai officer says they posted AI pic of themselves in dresses 'to create a friendlier image of police'

An image of Thai policemen wearing dresses to catch a local drug dealer has been revealed to be AI-generated.

Police sergeant Rachata Mitrsuripong, who manages the Facebook page that posted the original photo, revealed to AFP's fact-check department that the image was fake, reported Yahoo.

“I wanted to create a friendlier image of the police — showing a cute and humorous side — so that people would feel more comfortable approaching officers," he said.

Here's the real, non-AI image.

Rachata added that the details of the post were accurate, save for the suspect's name, which was initially stated to be Mekha Fa-wap-wap.

The suspect had been arrested on drug and illegal gambling charges following an operation carried out by police in Tha Luang, Lop Buri, Thailand.

Authorities seized 53 methamphetamine pills and a mobile phone.

Another officer at the police station added that they were unaware that the AI-generated photo had spread internationally.

Multiple news outlets, including ours, posted the article from the police's Facebook page,.

The police station has since uploaded another post to say: "Everyone, these are the authentic [photos]. [The previous one] is AI-generated, just FYI."