A Japanese man who is believed to be a leader of call-centre scam gangs in Cambodia and Vietnam has been arrested for a string of crimes in Japan.

The suspect, identified only as Yamakushi, was wanted on arrest warrants issued in his home country for physical assault, fraud, theft and organised crime, police said.

The Immigration Bureau (IB) revoked his visa on March 13 at the request of Japanese authorities and and found Mr Yamakushi walking near a housing estate where he lived.

They told him his visa had been revoked and he was later taken to the bureau’s Immigration Division 3 for questioning.

According to the investigation, Mr Yamakushi was a former boss of a yakuza gang in Japan and leader of call-centre scam gangs in Cambodia and Vietnam preying on Japanese victims.

Entry records showed he frequently entered Thailand and rented a house for 180,000 baht a month in Sathon district of the capital.

An investigation found that the suspect set up Last Samurai Japan Co last year. The firm bought and sold artwork at high prices, leading police to believe the business might have been used for laundering money.

A search of the rented house found four other Japanese nationals staying there. All had criminal records in their home country, police said.