BANGKOK, Oct 31 — Malaysian and Thai police crippled a human trafficking syndicate and rescued four victims held in Malaysia.
Commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, Pol Lt-Gen Jirabhop Bhuridej said four women — two Thais and two Indonesians — were rescued at a hotel in Selangor on Saturday.
He said Thai police arrested two men — one in Chachoengsao and the second one in Chonburi on Saturday — while Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Royal Malaysian Police arrested three women in Selangor on the same day.
“We are investigating further if more people are involved,” he told Bernama.
He thanked Malaysian police for their aid in solving the case.
The two men arrested in Thailand are now in police custody.
They face nine charges including human trafficking, which provides for imprisonment of up to 20 years if found guilty.
Jirabhop said the arrest followed months of investigation after Thai and Malaysian police rescued a 13-year-old girl who was forced into prostitution at a hotel in Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, in Malaysia in July.
He said the young girl was approached by a man on social media to work at a massage parlour in Malaysia, with a salary of between 20,000 (RM2,480) to 200,000 baht (RM24,800) per month.
He added that the girl took up the offer and sneaked into Malaysia via a natural border crossing in Sungai Kolok District in Narathiwat.
He added that the girl was later rescued and sent back to Thailand in July after a police report lodged by her family. — Bernama
