Thai police arrested a Chinese crime boss in a major crackdown on ID fraud and bribery in Thailand.

Chinese ringleader Li Zhijun, 43, and his Burmese wife Aye Sant, 30, reportedly manufactured fake IDs and registration documents for Chinese nationals in the country.

They were arrested following a years-long investigation into the scheme, which also allegedly involved corrupt local government officials and cops.

Footage shows police raiding Li's home after obtaining arrest warrants from the local court. They detained the Chinese boss and Aye, and seized bankbooks, ATM cards, phones, tablets, computers, various IDs, as well as cars and gold accessories.

Police said the arrest stemmed from a 2023 report by a Chinese individual claiming he had been extorted by police officers.

The alleged victim claimed he had met with Li and Aye in northeastern Thailand to forge fake IDs and a house registration for around 1.1 million Baht (around 25,000 GBP) in November 2022.

He then sought their help again to obtain a passport. However, when he was at the Department of Consular Affairs office in Bangkok, he was allegedly detained by a group of cops, who reportedly extorted him out of two million Baht (around 46,000 GBP) in exchange for not reporting his fake documents.

The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) launched an investigation and found that Li was the subject of an Interpol red notice for alleged embezzlement of more than 14 million Baht (320,000 GBP) in China.

He was said to have fled to Thailand in 2021, and operated a 'visa extension business' through a nominee-fronted company.

Four other suspects, identified as Jirapat, 32, Suriya, 57, Phirasak, 51, Prawit, 50, were also arrested on suspicion of involvement in the ID fraud and extortion.

Police Lieutenant Colonel Ratsadon Panchu Klang, deputy duperintendent of the Investigation Division, said the raid was part of an operation called 'CIB Game On' targetting Chinese crimes across different Thai provinces.

He said: 'The operation resulted in the arrest of Mr. Li and Ms. Aye. The evidence was seized and sent to the investigation officer of Sub-Division 3, Crime Suppression Division, for further legal proceedings.

'As for the other four currently detained, the investigation officer will proceed to press charges against them according to the law.'

(1 GBP = 43.50 THB)