The investigative team of Muang Khon Kaen Police Station, together with local administrative officials, raided a secondhand goods shop. They arrested the middle-aged shop owner and a broker for illegally offering loans and pawning vehicles without authorization, seizing over 40 vehicles as evidence.
At 13:30 on 22 May 2026, Pol. Col. Yosawat Kaewsuebnanich, Chief of Muang Khon Kaen Police Station, and Pol. Lt. Col. Khajornsak Darapha, Deputy Chief of Investigations, along with police investigators and local administrative officers, executed a search warrant at a secondhand goods shop by the railway road in Muang Kao Subdistrict, Muang District, Khon Kaen Province, to inspect for illegal items suspected to be concealed there.
The search found the business owner, a 39-year-old resident of Muang Kao Subdistrict, Muang District, Khon Kaen, and a 37-year-old broker also from Muang Kao Subdistrict. They seized 39 motorcycles of various brands and several cars, including sedans and trucks.Pickup trucksSix-wheel trucks totaling 10 units, a .38 caliber revolver with ammunition, numerous loan account books, and many sales contracts.
Pol. Lt. Col. Khajornsak Darapha, Deputy Chief of Investigations, explained that the arrests followed reports of stolen motorcycles in the area. Investigators tracked the suspects' escape routes, which led along the railway road into Muang Kao Subdistrict.
Authorities inspected suspicious locations potentially involved in hiding stolen vehicles. They identified this secondhand goods shop as suspicious, as while it openly bought used items, two adjacent areas concealed many motorcycles and cars. They obtained a search warrant, raided the shop, and seized all evidence for further examination.
The deputy chief added that the seized vehicles were divided into two groups: those with customers’ pawn agreements and those without such contracts. They also needed to verify whether the pawning business was properly licensed and whether the interest rates charged complied with legal limits.
During questioning, the shop owner admitted operating the secondhand goods business for many years but had only been pawning vehicles for about one year. Most customers were ordinary people. Motorcycles were pawned based on condition, averaging about a thousand baht each, with contracts signed. If a pawned vehicle was not redeemed, it would be sold immediately, sometimes dismantled for parts. The same applied to cars. A broker helped find customers, sharing profits equally from selling unredeemed vehicles.
After questioning, both suspects were detained and handed over to Muang Khon Kaen Police for prosecution on charges of conducting personal loan business without a license. Police will continue investigations to identify and prosecute any related financiers under the law.