Loan sharks arrested after shutting down debtors’ phones over unpaid loans
Suspects uses software supplied by Chinese national to remotely control debtors' phones
Police raided three mobile phone stores in Pathum Thani province near Bangkok in a crackdown on a loan shark gang that offered high-interest loans and used debtors’ mobile phones as collateral.
Officers from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (CCIB) reported the successful operation today, August 7. They searched three branches of a mobile phone shop called Nak Leng Mue Tue, which translates to phone gangster, in Thanyaburi district after discovering that the owner, Jirathiwat, was illegally offering loans.
According to officers, the main focus of the operation was the gang’s three-storey headquarters, where Jirathiwat, also known as Keng, and 10 of his employees were arrested.
Police reported that the first and third floors of the building were used as office space, while the second floor was for storage. Officers found empty mobile phone boxes and personal information about each debtor stored there.
Jirathiwat admitted that borrowers were required to leave their phones at the shop as security for the loan. His staff would then install a programme that allowed them to control the phones remotely. If a debtor failed to repay the loan or interest, the gang would shut down the phone.
He claimed he purchased the programme from a Chinese national, prompting police to extend their investigation to this foreigner.
Officers stated that more than 5,000 people had applied for loans from Jirathiwat, and that over five million baht was circulating through his account each month.
Jirathiwat and his employees were charged with violating the Loan Act, although the report did not specify the exact charges or potential penalties.
A similar crackdown took place in June, when officers from the Economic Crime Suppression Division (ECD) raided a company in Samut Prakan province, near Bangkok.
That company reportedly offered loans with an interest rate of 30% per month, using each debtor’s iCloud account as collateral and locking their phones if repayments or interest were not made.
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