Chonburi —
In a coordinated operation aligned with the Thai government’s crackdown on illegal money lending, local authorities in Banglamung district arrested a loan shark suspected of exploiting borrowers in the local market.
On the evening of December 14th, Mr. Phisit Sirisawadinukul, the district chief of Banglamung, led a team of police officers alongside Pol. Col. Navin Sinturat, the superintendent of Banglamung Police Station, to apprehend Mr. Narinthorn “Tum” Phopuang (38), who was accused of collecting excessive daily interest from merchants at the Sai Bua market.
According to police reports, Mr. Narinthorn was caught in the act of collecting debts from vendors at the market located in the Nong Pla Lai area, Chonburi province. Authorities seized two loan books and a customer list, revealing that over 30 people owed money to Mr. Narinthorn.
According to the books, debtors had to collectively pay exorbitant daily interest rates that pushed the total daily collection to over 15,000 baht.
This arrest stemmed from numerous complaints filed by residents of Pattaya and Banglamung against Mr. Narinthorn’s predatory lending practices. Locals accused him of targeting vulnerable vendors and charging interest rates exceeding the legal limits.
Mr. Narinthorn is currently facing initial charges for operating an unlicensed lending business and collecting excessive interest. He did not provide a statement to the press.
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