Pattaya —
Police nabbed a Korean man at a Pattaya luxurious condominium on charges of alleged human trafficking. The suspect allegedly lured several Thai women into working at his massage parlor in Bu San, South Korea where the victims were forced into prostitution, said police.
The suspect was only identified by police as Mr. Cho, 49. On Tuesday, February 21st, Pattaya Police, armed with an arrest warrant, swooped on the suspect at his luxurious condo located on Pattaya Third Road. He was accused of deceiving multiple Thai women into sex work at his massage parlor in South Korea.
Police said Cho was also one of many illicit agents that lured Thai female job-seekers into sex work. His arrest was driven by complaints from three Thai women whom he allegedly deceived to work for him as prostitutes.
The women got tricked by a Facebook job advertisement for a massage therapist in South Korea, according to police. Cho promised the victims to hire them as massage artists at his parlor but later verbally and physically forced them to sell their bodies once they arrived in South Korea.
Cho allegedly hit the victims with a frying pan, seized their passports, and threatened to kill them if they refused to work, according to police.
The incident took place long ago in 2019, and the victims were saved by South Korean authorities. The women later filed complaints once they arrived in Thailand.
Pattaya Police said Cho was the only remaining suspect in this network who was still at large. He fled arrest from South Korea to Thailand where he eventually got arrested in Pattaya on Tuesday.Initially, Cho reportedly confessed to the human trafficking charges. The suspect is in police custody as of press time.
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