Indian loan shark arrested for 'threatening and attacking local vendors' in Thailand

An Indian loan shark was arrested for allegedly threatening and attacking vendors in Thailand. Rakesh Kumar Chorasiya, 34, reportedly posed as a clothing seller while running an illegal money-lending business in Udon Thani. He was said to have charged vendors exorbitant interest rates of up to 35 per cent and demanded daily repayments. Rakesh allegedly began threatening two female vendors who owed him 12,000 baht after the pair failed to adhere to the agreed payment schedule. He reportedly tried to take a mobile phone as collateral, claiming he was 'untouchable' because he had bribed local officials. Fearing for their safety, the two women reported the alleged threats to police on October 15. Officers arrested Rakesh on October 15 after two women reported the alleged threats to police. The Indian was was riding a black Honda Wave motorcycle on a road leading to Ban Lueam subdistrict when cops intercepted the vehicle at around 3 pm local time. Despite knowing how to speak Thai, the suspect pretended not to understand during questioning. He was hauled to the Mueang Udon Thani Police Station, where a passport check found that the document had expired. Officers subsequently investigated his immigration history, and discovered that he had last year been deported from Thailand and blacklisted for 10 years. He then obtained a new passport and re-entered the country through illegal channels. Police Lieutenant Colonel Adisak Paso, an inspector at the Udon Thani Immigration Office, said Rakesh first came to Thailand on a tourist visa on August 3, 2022. He said: 'He was later arrested by Ayutthaya Immigration for overstaying his visa and deported on March 8, 2025, with a 10-year entry ban set to expire on March 7, 2035. ‘After returning to his country, he obtained a new passport and entered Thailand illegally without completing immigration procedures. ‘Unable to pass through immigration checkpoints, he sneaked into the country through a natural border crossing, although he claimed he could not recall the specific point of entry.' Rakesh is understood to have travelled to Udon Thani, where he continued his lending activities before his arrest. He faces charges of entering and remaining in Thailand without permission, operating a lending business without a licence and charging interest above the legal limit. He has been handed over to investigators for further legal proceedings. Just days earlier, another Indian national Chhotu, 22, was arrested in Nong Bua Lamphu on October 11 for allegedly running an illegal loan business while in Thailand on a student visa. He reportedly charged interest rates of up to 304 per cent a year before police cracked down on the loan shark operation.