Authorities raided homes and offices in Pathum Thani province earlier this week looking for Wichai, 46, and Chaiwuth Wiwattana-areekul, 30, on charges of operating a money-lending business without permission and imposing illegally high interest rates.

Dusadee said the probe found that Wichai had travelled to Japan and he would be arrested when he returned to Thailand, while his computer website administrator, Chaiwuth, was on the run.

Also seized in the raids were 81 motorcycles linked to Wichai’s so-called “helmet gang” debt collectors, 26 cars and a number of safe boxes which authorities believe contain more evidence – such as land title deeds and loan contracts, he said.

Dusadee alleged that Wichai was a major moneylender with more than 60 franchise branches in the Central, Eastern and Southern regions of the country.

He alleged that Wichai charged people an interest rate of 20 per cent per month and he opened many companies in an attempt to cover up his illegal operation.

Wichai would give Bt500,000 seed money for a franchise dealer to lend money and collect repayments while he cashed in from profit margins, Dusadee alleged, adding that a dealer who missed a payment deadline would be harassed by the helmet gang.