Authorities on Friday raided a well-known massage parlour called "Victoria Secret Massage" in Bangkok's Rama 9 area and found 80 women believed to have been forced into prostitution.
The Department of Special Investigation (DSI), military and local officers arrested Boonsap Amornratanasiri, 55, aka "Pa Kob", for alleged human trafficking. The suspect worked as a supervisor of the women.
Pol Col Songsak Raksaksakul, DSI deputy chief, said most of the women had no ID card and are believed to be migrants trafficked in from neighbouring countries.
"The venue has lawful permission to operate but initial findings suggest that several women here were allegedly forced into prostitution while others were sent to work in Malaysia," said Pol Col Songsak.
The case concerns a network across Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand and "is believed to involve human trafficking", DSI chief Phaisit Wongmuang.
An initial interrogation found one of the women to be an underage Myanmar girl who claimed to have been working at the parlour since she was 12, Pol Col Phaisit said.
Another six suspects face arrest warrants.
Main Masseurs at Victoria Secret Massage hide under white cloths during a raid by the Department of Special Investigation (DSI), which suspects some are victims of a transnational trafficking gang. inset A room installed with a large jacuzzi at the same massage parlour in Bangkok is inspected by DSI officers investigating the illegal sex trade involving minors. The company's name evokes the popular American lingerie, beauty product and perfume brand Victoria's Secret. photos by Pattarapong Chatpattarasill