Police have intensified an investigation into a surrogacy case related to Mitsutoki Shigeta, a Japanese man, who is now suspected to have fathered 15 surrogate children.
Mr Shigeta was initially linked to the discovery of nine suspected surrogate babies found by police at a Bangkok condo on Aug 5.
He fled the country soon after reports came to light that he may have fathered the children as part of a commercial surrogacy arrangement.
The children are now under the care of the Social Development and Human Security Ministry. Police say initial inquiries confirm all nine children have the same father, possibly him.
They also say two twins found at a Bangkok hospital, and four other children who Mr Shigeta is known to have taken out of the country in recent months, may also have been fathered by him.
Pol Gen Aek Angsananont, deputy national police chief, said immigration reports show Mr Shigeta, 24, a frequent visitor to Thailand, took four children out of the country over three periods.
He took out one child on two occasions, and two children one other time. Three of them used Thai passports while another one used a Japanese passport.
Nannies and a pregnant woman who admitted to being a surrogate were also found at the condo in the Aug 5 raid. Mr Shigeta fled on a Macau-bound flight.
Police recently found twin babies at a private hospital in Bangkok and the birth certificates show Mr Shigeta is the father, raising the number of babies Mr Shigeta is suspected of fathering to 15.
So far, the birth certificates of six children name Mr Shigeta as the father, according to police.
Mr Shigeta is from a wealthy family which runs an IT business in Japan. Pol Gen Aek said authorities are trying to bring Mr Shigeta back to Thailand for DNA testing. No charges have yet been laid.
Deputy Metropolitan Police Bureau chief Chayut Thanathaveerat said Mr Shigeta's lawyer, Ratthaprathan Tulathorn, has now stopped representing him.
That was a personal decision, but police want him to contact Mr Shigeta and ask him to return for DNA testing.
Pol Lt Gen Dr Jongjet Aoajenpong, director of the Police General Hospital, said the number of babies Mr Shigeta is suspected of fathering is unusually high for a surrogacy case.
Police are looking for a possible human trafficking connection.