A transgender woman has been arrested in Bangkok for allegedly duping male university students into sending her video clips of themselves masturbating, which she then sold on social media.
Officers from the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPO) arrested Apiwut Suwannarat, 25, at a dormitory near a university in Lat Phrao district on Wednesday, Pol Col Phatthanaphong Sriphinphor, superintendent of ATPO sub-division 2, said on Thursday.
Apiwut was wanted under an arrest warrant issued by the Criminal Court on charges of human trafficking, producing or disseminating pornography, and uploading pornographic materials to a computer system.
The arrest followed police reports of a group on the Telegram messaging application sharing pornographic clips of young men, most of which showed them undressed and masturbating. Joining the group, called "Gril group," required a membership fee of 200 baht.
Investigators traced the dissemination of the clips to Apiwut and gathered evidence to obtain court approval for her arrest.
During questioning, Apiwut told police that she graduated from the university two years ago and rented a room near the campus.
To find her victims, she created a fake profile with an attractive woman's photo on social media, primarily targeting male university students. She tricked them into sending videos of themselves masturbating by offering to share her own clips in return. However, she instead sold the videos in the "Gril group."
The arresting team handed over the suspect to ATPO sub-division 2 for legal action.
Police search the room of Apiwut Suwannarat, 25, to find evidence related to pornographic clips of male victims. (Photo supplied/Wassayos Ngamkham)
