CHON BURI – Six men have been arrested for allegedly being part of a large loan shark gang with debtors in 21 provinces and 30 million baht in circulation per month.
About a dozen armed police and military officers raided a one-storey house in tambon Takian Tia of Bang Lamung district and arrested the men after a tip-off that the gang had charged exorbitant interest rates for their loans.
The raid was carried out under the junta's order No.13/2559 which gives soldiers sweeping powers to crack down on "mafia" and "influential criminal figures" as well as suppressing crimes that pose threat to society and the economy.
The team searched the house and found dozens of loan contracts and a ledger with dozens of borrowers' names from 45 districts of 21 provinces across the country.
Lt Porasit Jitramwong, deputy district chief overseeing crime prevention in Bang Lamung, said bankbooks found at the house indicated that the gang had about 30 million baht in circulation.
The officers also seized 13 grammes of compressed cannabis and assets worth more than two million baht. They included a Volkswagen van, dozen mobile phones, 44,000 baht in cash, amulets, and gold and gemstone rings.
The gang, led by Sing Sattham, who is the house's owner, previously operated in Ayutthaya and Pathum Thani provinces. They recently expanded to Bang Lamung and Pattaya, Lt Porasit added.
Lt Porasit alleged Mr Sing, 37, and his team had operated an illegal money-lending business. His team members would go to the homes of the debtors who failed to pay monthly interest and threaten to kill them. Some of them had posted photos of them carrying guns on their Facebook account.
Lt Porasit said police were investigating further to identify more people involved.