Thai-Singaporean sex procurement ring busted - Bangkok Post
Police question one of the suspects accused of being part of the procurement ring on Wednesday. (Police photo) Police have arrested five people — two Singaporeans and three Thais — accused of recruiting Thai women for prostitution in Singapore and advertising their services online.
The arrests took place on Wednesday in Rayong and Phitsanulok provinces, said Pol Maj Gen Chanannat Sarathawanpaet, commander of the Technology Crime Suppression Division.
The two Singaporean men were identified only as Leow, 46, and Aaron, 42. The Thai suspects were identified as Apaporn, 37, who is married to Mr Leow; Nantanee, 33, and Pongsakorn, 35.
They were charged with procurement of prostitutes, money-laundering and participation in a transnational criminal organisation.
According to Pol Maj Gen Chanannat, police also seized 15 mobile phones, three computers, 16 bank passbooks, 10 ATM cards, 100,000 baht in cash and some jewellery.
The arrests stemmed from a report from the Specialised Crime Branch of Singapore that a gang called Lover’s Fortress ran two websites called 7th Heaven and 7th Heaven 2 to recruit Thai women for the sex trade in Singapore.
Police said Mr Leow admitted he had been running the illicit business since 2019 with Mr Aaron as his partner. They used Telegram, Line and WhatsApp chat applications to advertise the services and contact customers.
Mr Pongsakorn reportedly retouched the women’s photos for use on the websites.
Ms Apaporn was quoted as saying that she arranged for air tickets and accommodations for the women and also collected commissions. However, Ms Nantanee maintained that her bank account had been misused and said she had nothing to do with the illicit business.
