CHON BURI: Twelve members of a Chinese loan-shark gang using Thailand as a base for an illegal lending service in China which charges clients 30% interest a month were arrested during raids on two houses near Pattaya yesterday.
Chon Buri and Pattaya tourist police carrying search warrants entered two rented houses at the Garden Ville 2 housing estate in tambon Huay Yai of Bang Lamung district about noon.
At the first house, five Chinese -- a man and four women -- were sitting working at computers, which were seized along with internet equipment and documents, police said.
At the second, about 300 metres away, seven Chinese men were found working at computers. Many sets of documents giving details of loans and customers were confiscated, along with computers, internet gear and other items, police said.
Pol Col Chiddecha Songhong, superintendent of Nong Prue police and head of the Chon Buri police centre to suppress transnational criminals and illegal immigrants, said they had received information over a month ago that Chinese nationals had rented two houses at the estate.
They seldom went out and when they did their actions aroused the suspicions of residents.
The 12 suspects had been hired by a Chinese loan shark and paid 20,000 baht a month to operate the illegal service in Thailand, he said, adding that the gang paid 40,000 baht a month to rent the houses, which they used as their operation bases.
The five suspects in the first house were told to contact customers and approve loan applications via the internet, at an interest rate of 30% a month, Pol Col Chiddecha said.
The seven in the second house collected money and interest from customers. They would send personal information about debtors who made late payments or refused to pay to gang members in China, who would collect the money.
At least one million baht a month was circulating through their racket, Pol Col Chiddecha said. During questioning, the 12 suspects allegedly told police they had entered Thailand as tourists.
They chose to operate the money-lending service from Thailand because the penalties in China were far more severe, according to Pol Col Chiddecha.
