BANGKOK – Police report eleven people, most of them women, have been arrested for human trafficking in coordinated raids over claims they recruited schoolgirls for a sex service posing as a modelling agency.
Pol Maj Gen Withaya Sriprasertparp, commander of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division, said officers detained the suspects on Sunday at several sites after finding private LINE chat groups that listed high school students for sexual services.
Investigators joined the groups, which charged entry fees between 1,500 and 20,000 baht, and discovered detailed profiles of many students. The listings included names, body types, schools, and photos of the girls in school uniforms. Police said most of the trafficked victims are high school students in Greater Bangkok, aged 16 and 17.
Police said the girls thought they were signing up for part-time work as PR staff or product presenters through ads from a fake modelling agency. They were later pressured to provide sexual services to members of the chat groups.
Each booking costs 20,000 to 30,000 baht, and the girls receive about 10,000 baht per appointment.
Two suspects, identified as Weerapol, 49, and Natrika, 28, were named as key organizers and have confessed, according to police. The other suspects, mainly women aged 19 to 42, admitted to acting as procurers but claimed they did not know the girls’ exact ages.
Police rescued nine students during Sunday’s operation. They have been classified as victims under anti-trafficking laws.
In a separate case, three Thai women have been arrested over an alleged role in a romance scam network run by a group of Nigerians that defrauded victims of more than six billion baht.
The suspects, identified as Jutharat, Janjira, and Jiraphan, were arrested on Sunday in Chachoengsao, Nonthaburi, and Yala. They face charges linked to transnational crime and money laundering, said Pol Maj Gen Pattanasak Bupphasuwan, commander of the Consumer Protection Police Division.
According to Pattanasak, the investigation points to a scam network active since 2019. The group is accused of forming fake online relationships with Thai victims, then inventing stories to convince them to transfer money through several digital channels.
Losses are believed to exceed six billion baht. Investigators say the three women recruited people to open mule accounts, withdrew cash, and took a commission of 2% to 10% on each transaction. All three have denied the charges. Police said inquiries are ongoing.
