Cops arrest madam at gay sex shop
Police have arrested a madam on charges of running a brothel under the guise of a massage shop that caters to homosexual men in downtown Muang district. Two young masseurs were caught in a sting operation on Tuesday night.
The combined team of police and officials from the Department of Provincial Administration raided the Ann6999 massage shop on Chang Klan Road and arrested a transgender woman named Sri (surname not given), 56, also known by the name of Ann. She identifies herself as manager of the shop although the authorities believe she owns the business.
Narong Thipsiri, director of the department’s Operation Centre for Legal Enforcement, said on Wednesday the shop was opened as a front for a brothel for gay men. The shop was exposed in a complaint lodged with the government-run Damrongtham centre by the anti-human trafficking Ronnasit Foundation.
The foundation alleged that the shop employed teenage boys aged 18 and under to provide sexual services to customers there.
Mr Narong said the shop would contact potential clients through its Line chat application and show them pictures of the young masseurs posted in a dedicated Twitter account.
Mr Narong said before the raid, an official who posed as a potential client contacted the shop and inquired about an “intimate” massage service. The undercover official was given access to many nude photos of young masseurs to choose from on the Twitter account.
After arriving at the shop, the official was met by Ms Sri and two teenage masseurs who claimed they were both 17 years of age. The official later called for the combined team to bust the place. The shop occupies a five-story building with rooms on the third floor reserved for massage and sexual services. The masseurs normally received 1,600 baht each from customers, of which Ms Sri took a 600-baht cut.
Ms Sri has been charged with human trafficking, pocketing illegal gains from prostitution, acting as procurer for people aged 18 and under, running a brothel, abetting, possessing pornographic materials for commercial purposes and importing pictures containing nudity for people to access.
