Authorities on Wednesday raided a drug store and a beauty clinic in Chaiyaphum province allegedly operating as fronts for illegal abortion clinics and arrested two women accused of terminating pregnancies.
A team of police from the Consumer Protection Police Division, soldiers and highway police raided Urai drug store at Sanambin community in Muang district and found a woman preparing to inject abortion drugs into a police informant posing as a customer. The woman, identified later as Urai Meepian, was taken into custody.
Police said Ms Urai, a former nursing assistant, had performed illegal abortions for teenagers. She charged abortion service fees at 6,000 baht for each month of a customer's pregnancy.
Police said the suspect confessed she had carried out illegal abortions for a long time. She had earlier been arrested for performing abortions and imprisoned for one year. After serving her term, she provided abortion services again as many teenagers came to her and asked for this service, investigators alleged.
In a second raid, the same team of officers descended on Ladda Spa Nga-dam beauty clinic on Haruethai Road in Muang district and arrested a woman who operated the shop.
Identified as Phetngam Chartchaiyaphum, she provided abortion services for teen customers, police alleged. Ms Phetngam also had served a one-year jail term for the same offence, but returned to the business after being released.
Police said the woman also provided "black magic" ritual services for her customers who feared the spirits of their aborted foetuses would harm them.