Picture courtesy of CIB

 

A 16-year-old girl has been rescued from a sex trafficking ring operating out of a karaoke bar in Lopburi province, following a covert police operation led by The Central Investigation Bureau (CIB).

 

Officers from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) arrested the establishment’s owner, Ms. Udomrat 50, on charges of human trafficking for sexual exploitation involving a minor, illegally employing underage workers in an entertainment venue and operating such a venue without a licence.

 

The investigation began after police received a tip-off from a confidential informant that a karaoke bar along Phahonyothin Road in Nong Muang district was facilitating prostitution. Undercover officers visited the establishment and confirmed that underage sexual services were being offered.

 

Officers arranged a transaction involving a 16-year-old girl for a fee of 2,000 baht, of which the girl was to receive 1,800 baht, with the remaining 200 baht going to the establishment.

 

Once the undercover officer escorted the girl to a nearby hotel, police and officials from the Lopburi Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office intervened and took the girl into protective custody. Simultaneously, a second police team raided the karaoke bar.

At the venue, police arrested Ms. Udomrat, who admitted she had been operating the karaoke bar without a licence for over a decade. She confessed to being aware of the prostitution arrangement and said there was a standing agreement that workers must inform her before leaving to provide services and were required to share 200 baht per client with her.

 

Authorities charged Ms. Udomrat with multiple offences under Thailand’s anti-human trafficking and labour protection laws, and she has been handed over to investigators at the ATPD’s Division 2 for legal proceedings.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from CIB 2025-08-04

 

 

 

Didnt pay "tea-money" ??