A Hong Kong beautician has admitted tricking two women into forced labour and confinement in Southeast Asia by offering them free flights and accommodation and promising a lucrative reward for transporting 48 million baht more than a year ago.
Poon Sum-yi, 33, pleaded guilty at the District Court on Friday to a count of fraud for luring the two victims into travelling to Thailand, before they were "sold" to a Chinese-run scam factory in neighbouring Myanmar for US$54,000 (1.8 million baht) in December 2024.
The court heard the two women's relatives paid more than HK$585,000 (2.5 million baht) in total to secure their release from the unnamed compound the following month.
Peng Xinying, who was jobless, and part-time model Liu Bingbing, were initially invited by Poon to join her on a trip to either Japan or Canada. The pair expressed interest after the accused offered to bear all of their travel expenses.
On Dec 27, 2024, Poon said she had bought the two women tickets for a flight to Thailand departing at 9pm (8pm Thailand time) that day, and that they would return the following night.
The defendant added that the pair would be paid upon transporting 48 million baht.
Less than three hours before the flight to Thailand, Poon met Peng at a restaurant in Mong Kok and deleted all text messages between them on the latter's phone.
After landing in Bangkok at around 11pm, Peng and Liu boarded a white car they believed would transport them to their hotel, only to realise the next morning they were heading to the northern city of Chiang Mai.
Poon, who had said she would board a subsequent flight, did not go to the country.
The two women were taken to the Thai-Myanmar border, where five men wielding knives and sticks confiscated their belongings and escorted them across a river.
Six other gun-wielding men in military uniform forced them into another vehicle and told them they had been "sold" to Myanmar.
A mainland Chinese man nicknamed "rabbit chief" met the two women at the scam factory and said they would only be allowed to leave if they either paid a US$500,000 ransom or helped the syndicate bilk wealthy overseas Chinese out of the same amount.
The following month, the Chinese man told the victims that someone had been searching for them on social media.
He offered to let them leave at US$28,000 each, adding they could pay less if they agreed to stay at the compound longer.
Peng and Liu were later allowed to contact their relatives, who acceded to the syndicate's demands in exchange for the pair's freedom. They were released on Jan 8 and returned to Hong Kong three days later.
Police arrested Poon on Jan 13 last year. She remained silent under caution.
Judge Adriana Noelle Tse Ching adjourned sentencing until Sept 29, pending the Court of Appeal's ruling on an appeal arising from a similar case.
Poon, who has been denied bail since being charged in January last year, remains in custody.
Fraud is punishable by up to 14 years behind bars, capped at seven years in the District Court.
