A woman has been accused of human trafficking for allegedly recruiting girls under the age of 18 into prostitution following a raid on the karaoke bar she operates in Muang district.
Authorities have stated that they will also take legal action against individuals who engaged in sexual activities with the girls.
A team from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) detained Somsong Kesamoon, 66, at the Nong Taengmo karaoke bar in tambon Nong Bua on Friday.
The raid was initiated based on information from a police informant, alleging that underage girls had been brought to the establishment to provide sexual services to patrons. Subsequent police inquiries confirmed the report, leading to the issuance of an arrest warrant by the Criminal Court.
During the operation, four girls, aged between 16 and 17, were rescued and are being treated as victims of human trafficking.
According to the accounts provided to the police, Ms. Somsong supposedly hired the girls to serve alcoholic beverages to customers and encouraged them to offer sexual services to patrons. The charges for these services ranged between 1,300 and 1,700 baht, with the bar retaining 200 baht.
Upon being questioned, Ms. Somsong refuted the allegations but acknowledged her ownership of the bar and admission to hiring the four underage girls to work there. She claimed, however, that she had neglected to verify their identification documents.
The law enforcement officials declared that they had acquired substantial evidence to levy human trafficking charges against the woman. As per ATPD police, Ms. Somsong faces three additional arrest warrants on the same charges.
Furthermore, the investigators revealed that their extended inquiry indicated that the four girls could recall numerous customers engaging in sexual transactions with them, and they intend to take action against these individuals.
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