An Uzbek man was detained by Thai authorities at Suvarnabhumi Airport as he prepared to leave the nation due to his involvement in illegal prostitution in Pattaya.
On July 7, police from the Anti Trafficking In Persons Division and Nuriddin Mamatkulov, Consul General of Uzbekistan, held a press conference to discuss the arrest of Navruzbek, a 32-year-old Uzbek man.
Officers disclosed that they had received a complaint about prostitution in Pattaya from two nonprofit organizations, NightLight and Operation Underground Railroad (O.U.R.). The organizations passed along information from a victim who claimed to be an Uzbek and who claimed to have been tricked into working at a brothel close to Pattaya Walking Street.The victim claims that a criminal organization from Uzbekistan lured women with the promise of employment as a chef’s assistant in Pattaya. The gang lured victims with promises of big income and free lodging, saying they would pay for transportation and visa fees in advance.Every day from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., each woman had a minimum of four customers to attend to. They only had one meal a day, and they weren’t paid anything for their labor. All wages were paid to the employers. Punishment, such as starvation, ensued from failing to reach the specified income.
The brothel served as a prison for the victims. For their travel and visa costs, the employers claimed that each victim owed them US$5,000 (176,000 baht). If they wanted to be free, they had to pay off the entire loan.
The woman managed to flee as her employers prepared to send her and others to Bahrain and seek assistance from one of the charitable organizations.
Three people were revealed to be engaged in the case after a police investigation. Samrat, the gang’s 42-year-old commander, the 22-year-old Diloromkhon, who was in charge of recruiting victims, and the Uzbek man Navruzbek, who was in charge of locating customers.In spite of being under arrest, Samrat and Diloromkhon managed to escape with 17 ladies under their control. Despite his attempts to flee, Navruzbek was apprehended at the airport.
While denying all charges, Navruzbek did admit he was acquainted with Samrat. He argued that there was no illicit link between them other than the fact that they were both citizens of the same country. Navruzbek is still being held by the police while they conduct additional inquiries.
READ MORE: http://bangkokone.news
