Police have arrested seven young women, five of them under 18, for allegedly procuring underage girls who were still virgins for Chinese customers.
The arrests followed a tip-off that a gang had been bringing girls under 18 from the northern border province of Mae Hong Son for prostitution in Bangkok, said Pol Maj Gen Saruti Kwaengsopa, commander of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD).
Most of their clients were Chinese operators of illegal businesses who wanted to have sex with girls who were virgins, he said.
The gang members reportedly lured the girls to fly with them from Mae Hong Son to Bangkok under the guise of entertainment. In Bangkok, the girls were forced to have sex with customers at luxury hotels.
The customers paid as much as much as 200,000 baht for each girl and half that amount went to the pimps, said Pol Maj Gen Saruti. If a girl was found not to be a virgin, the customers could perform anal intercourse for half the price.
Possessing information from about 25 victims and evidence obtained in their investigation, ATPD police secured warrants to arrest seven women.
All of the suspects had sold sex to Chinese customers before becoming procurers, said Pol Maj Gen Saruti.
Charged with procuring persons for prostitution were two women identified only as Busarin, 22, and Kwanjira, 19, along with five others aged under 18. Ms Busarin denied the charge but the other six confessed, he said.
ATPD police are expanding their investigation to find more people involved in the business, the commander added.
