NAKHON RATCHASIMA - Fourteen members of a loan shark gang have been rounded up and charged with operating an illegal money lending business in this northeastern province.
They were arrested in a sweep operation by Region 3 Provincial Police after complaints that the gang had provided loans with an overly high interest rate to people, most of them operators of food stalls and vendors in Muang district of Nakhon Ratchasima.
The gang was led by Rachanchakkrapad Chotipinij.
According to the complaints, the gang members claimed they were operating the money lending business for Pol Gen Chakthip Chaichina, a deputy national police chief, and were charging an interest of 20% per month.
The complaints said debtors were intimidated when they defaulted on repayments.
Mr Rachanchakkrapad admitted his gang members had used the name of Pol Gen Chakthip to intimidate debtors. He said they knew Pol Gen Chakthip only from television news, not from personal relations.