Train passenger caught with fake Vladimir Putin ID

A train passenger was caught with a driving licence bearing the name of Russian president Vladimir Putin during a routine check on a train in southern Bavaria.

German Lucas Baier, 27, who also speaks Russian, told the ticket inspector he had bought it as a joke at a Russian market after friends teased that he was Putin's doppelgänger.

According to the Daily Mail, he said: "I was always being ribbed about it.

"On holiday I saw a realistic looking driving licence in his name, so I snapped it up."

However, the inspector didn't necessarily see the funny side, and confiscated the driving licence.

The ID was passed to the Latvian authorities, who confirmed it was a "realistic forgery".

According to the original report in The Daily Telegraph, Latvian traffic authorities dismissed the idea the ID had ever been owned by Putin himself.

A spokesman said: "Every licence issued in Latvia is recorded in an official register and has a unique number.

"No driving licence was ever issued to the Russian President."

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