In an impressive resolve displayed by the local police, four individuals alleged to be involved in harrowing acts of child sex trafficking have been taken into custody in the regions of Bangkok and Samut Prakan, as per an official police notification today. The Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD) of the local police made the arrest of the two primary suspects possible. The duo were under a Criminal Court arrest warrant that had been activated on September 6.
The alleged perpetrators, Noppadol Chanthong aged 40, and 51-year-old Khachaporn Khlainakpheuk, stand accused of sponsoring and mobilizing human trafficking, driving profit from prostitution, and luring or enticing minors below the age of 15 into explicit sexual enterprise. Two other alleged collaborators in this distasteful trade, 41-year-old Warit Wattanawongchai who administrates a website, and website proprietor Pheeraphon Jaensapsin, also 41, were subsequently apprehended by authorities as part of the sex trafficking circle.
These two culprits also had active arrest warrants hanging over their heads which were issued by the Criminal Court on September 14. ATPD commander Sarut Kwaengsopha stated that the charges against them are serious and include human trafficking, the procurement of minors for the purpose of prostitution, deriving income from the sex industry, and acts causing harm such as deprivation of parental care and related offences.
Prior to these vital arrests, officers successfully extricated two 15-year-old girls who had been deceived and pushed into the dark world of sexual trade. A sex trafficker known only by her given name, Thanyaporn, was later pinned down at a flat located on Rama II Road. It was discovered that Thanyaporn lured and forced the two teens into practicing prostitution at the said premises.
The investigation into the case revealed the trafficker had arranged and listed photographs of the minors on a website that advertised sexual services. The website, as reported by Bangkok Post, exacted a monthly advertising fee of 490 baht with add-ons charged for augmenting page traffic.
Commander Sarut Kwaengsopha detailed Thanyaporn’s modus operandi stating she routed funds to Khachaporn’s bank account to facilitate payment for the advertisements. Khachaporn, who was paid to open an account to receive payments from advertisers, had her account encashed to the tune of 200,000 to 300,000 baht each month with Noppadol accountable for the withdrawal procedures.
Khachaporn was subsequently apprehended at her Dusit district residence and Noppadol from his home in Bang Khen. An interrogation revealed Khachaporn’s gain of 2,000 baht in exchange for opening the account, while Noppadol admitted to receiving a commission of 1,000 to 2,000 baht from Warit for each withdrawal.
The police later tracked and arrested Warit at a housing community in Hua Mak. He confessed to managing the website promoting child sex services and controlling its finances. His involvement in the sex trafficking ring rewarded him with a monthly income of 60,000 baht, with an additional percentage from advertising, handed out by the site owner Pheeraphon.
Pheeraphon was later brought down at a plush residential estate situated in the Bangkok Metropolitan Region province of Samut Prakan. A number of photos of young girls and women, believed to be victims of sex trafficking, were discovered on his captured electronic devices.
Upon questioning, Pheeraphon admitted to owning the illicit website and disclosed that he, along with his close friend Warit, had previously worked in careers as online marketing personnel and event organizers before entering the online sex business. He revealed that he had commissioned a foreign programmer to develop the website and had leased overseas servers to duck Thai authority surveillance. He also claimed an income of about 200,000-300,000 baht a month earned from the website’s advertising fees. The suspects are currently held in police custody, awaiting legal proceedings on multiple charges related to sex trafficking.
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