A woman has been arrested and charged for procuring teens into prostitution following a raid on a karaoke bar in Bangkok’s Bang Khen district late on Thursday night.
A Department of Provincial Administration (DOPA) task force and police raided Raed karaoke bar near Soi Lat Pla Khao 75 at about 10pm and arrested a 33-year-old woman, owner of the nightspot.
Three teens – two 15-year-old girls and a 16-year-old transgender girl – were rescued.
DOPA inspector-general Ronnarong Thipsiri, who led the raid, said the task force received information that girls aged under 18 had been brought to the karaoke bar to provide sex services to customers. The task force was given a signal to launch the raid after the bar sent three youths to a nearby apartment to meet three spies posing as customers.
According to the investigation, the bar owner, whose name was withheld, had procured the teens from different provinces several months ago, making them her debtors. When they received service fees from serving alcoholic drinks or offering sex services to customers, the owner would deduct 80% of the fees.
The task force initially pressed two charges under the human trafficking law against the karaoke bar owner. They included procuring people into prostitution and opening a nightspot without permission. The owner of the apartment was also charged with illegally running a hotel without permission.
A team of psychologists will be invited to interrogate the rescued teens, who will be sent to a child welfare home for rehabilitation, said Mr Ronnarong.
(Photo: Department of Provincial Administration’s task force Facebook) credit Bangkok Post
