The owner of an infamous massage parlour on Ratchadaphisek Road that was closed down over human trafficking violations was arrested in Bangkok Noi district on Monday after almost six years on the run.
Deputy commissioner of the Royal Thai Police, Pol Gen Suchart Theerasawat, said Prasert "Kolak" Sukkhee, 63, was arrested for his involvement in the trafficking of minors at Nataree massage parlour, which authorities raided back in 2016.
The raid followed a complaint by Nvader, an international non-governmental organisation, which told the police that the massage parlour brought in minors to work as sex workers.
Authorities found eight girls under the age of 18 among the 121 sex workers working at the massage parlour. The case garnered public attention as a subsequent probe revealed the managers of Nataree massage parlour had paid substantial bribes to officers in order to be allowed to operate.
Mr Prasert and seven other people wanted by the police over their links to the massage parlour went on the run as soon as authorities closed in. Mr Prasert, in particular, was wanted on charges of human trafficking, prostitution of minors, money laundering and harbouring undocumented migrants.
In 2017, the Criminal Court sentenced five people to up to 13 years in jail for procuring minors and migrants as prostitutes.
Pong-anant Khanakhet, supervisor of the parlour, was sentenced to a total of 13 years in jail on six charges, while Somprasong Soijit, managing director of PSS Entertainment Co which ran Nataree massage parlour, was sentenced to 12 years and six months in jail. They were also each fined 15,000 baht.
Panarin Hanpatanakit, Atapha Laemae and Lapchulap Ngoentempiam were each sentenced to eight and a half years for employing minors as prostitutes. PSS Entertainment was fined 655,000 baht.