PATTAYA, Thailand – On June 21st, 2025, at 2:30 PM, Thai police conducted a dramatic raid on a luxury pool villa in Chonburi’s Banglamung district, initially responding to a tip from the South Korean Embassy about a possible kidnapping. However, the operation revealed a sophisticated illegal loan shark operation run by a group of 21 South Korean nationals and one Chinese national.
Led by Pol. Col. Songwut Cherdplakij, Pol. Lt. Col. Torlap Tinamat, Pol. Col. Naphaspong Khositsuriyamanee, and Pol. Col. Sarawut Nuchanart, over 50 officers from the Tourist Police, Immigration Bureau, and Banglamung Police Station surrounded the two-story villa at 400/19, Moo 6, in Naklua. The property, spanning over 90 square wah (360 square meters), was equipped with extensive CCTV surveillance.
As police announced their presence, nearly 20 South Korean men inside the villa panicked, scattering in all directions. One suspect, identified as Mr. Jue Jo Yong Jae, 30, jumped from the second floor in a desperate bid to escape, sustaining serious injuries after hitting the ground. He was rushed to a nearby hospital by rescuers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation.
Three others attempted to flee by climbing over the back wall but were swiftly apprehended. A total of 21 South Korean men were detained. Inside the villa, police discovered over 30 desktop computers and laptops, more than 40 mobile phones, and two internet routers, all seized as evidence. Forensic teams from Chonburi’s Evidence Division were called to collect DNA and fingerprints from the equipment.
Pol. Lt. Col. Torlap Tinamat, head of Pattaya’s Tourist Police, revealed that the raid was prompted by a report from the South Korean Embassy claiming a citizen had been kidnapped and held at the villa. However, the operation uncovered no clear kidnapping victim (see more below) but instead exposed an illegal cross-border loan shark operation. The suspects admitted to using the villa as a base to manage illicit lending activities in South Korea via internet-based communication systems.
Police are preparing to charge the group with operating an illegal organization, known locally as “Ang Yee,” a crime involving membership in a group with unlawful objectives. Additional investigations will determine if the suspects overstayed their visas or engaged in unauthorized work in Thailand, potentially leading to further charges.
A local resident, identified only as Mr. Man, 26, told reporters that the villa had been occupied by South Koreans and Chinese nationals for over four months. He reported hearing frequent arguments and sounds of distress, initially unaware of the villa’s illegal activities until the chaotic police raid unfolded.
The raid revealed a trove of evidence, including over 40 desktop and laptop computers, 16 IP phones, 22 mobile phones, and two internet routers. A whiteboard covered in Korean text outlined investment schemes promising returns of up to 500 million won (approximately 12 million baht), alongside tactics indicative of romance scams designed to deceive victims into transferring money. Authorities suspect the group was running a call center scam targeting South Korean citizens, luring them with fake stock investment opportunities and romantic ploys.
Authorities are continuing their investigation, with seized equipment undergoing detailed analysis to uncover the full extent of the operation. In regards to the kidnapping victim, reported by the father of the young man, he was found working at the villa and there were mixed statements on if he had been forced to work by the group or had chosen to do so voluntarily and this was being investigated and clarified by law enforcement officials as of press time.
Reported by Tiwakorn Kritsamanee, Pattaya Regional Correspondent, Chonburi
Translated to English and edited by Adam Judd for The Pattaya News
