Si Sa Ket – Police have launched a crackdown on loan sharks in Si Sa Ket, Surin and Chaiyaphum provinces after reports of unfair treatment.
Acting Immigration Bureau Chief Police Major General Surachet Hakpal, in his capacity as Deputy Director of Thailand’s Action Taskforce for Information Technology Crime Suppression (Tactics), announced that police raids were carried out in 27 locations in the three provinces where suspected loan sharks were operating.
They apprehended Supol Polsomboon in Si Sa Set on fraud charges and for providing loans with an interest rate higher than the legal limit. All of his assets, worth more than 100 million baht, have been confiscated after the arrest. Police also pressed charges against a female loan shark, Saranrus Suwannapradit, in the same province and for similar offenses.
A total of 1,100 land title deeds and assets worth 117 million baht were seized during the raids in the three provinces. To prevent unfair deals between loan sharks and their borrowers in the future, police Major General Surachet said loan sharks will be urged to participate in a PICO market where the loans they provide can be scrutinized and offered to loan seekers at a reasonable interest rate.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Gen Prawit Wongsuwan is set to travel to Si Sa Ket for the third time to return land title deeds to the rightful owners who were forced to give them up to loan sharks after failing to pay their debts on time.
In response to rumors claiming some government officials have been associated with loan sharks, Pol Maj Gen Kritsakorn Plithanyawond, Acting Deputy Immigration Police Bureau, said an investigation would be conducted to find out the truth in the matter, before it could be concluded if the accusation is true.
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