S'porean man, 46, & Thai wife, 37, admits to sending Thai women to S'pore for sex work since 2019

A Singaporean husband and his Thai wife admitted to running an online prostitution network that sent Thai women to Singapore for sex work.

According to The Thaiger, the husband recruited the women while his wife built the prostitution network's online store and found the customers.

The couple are part of a group of five individuals who were arrested by Thai police in the eastern Thai city of Rayong and the northern Thai city of Phitsanulok.

Two Singaporean men are among the five arrested.

Admitted to sending Thai women to Singapore

Police only released the first names of the accused.

Leow, 46, told officers that he started procuring the women and sending them to Singapore in 2019 along with Aaron, 42, another Singaporean.

He said he reached customers through three messaging apps: Telegram, LINE and WhatsApp.

Leow's wife Apaporn, 37, added that besides running the network's online shopfront, she found clients and arranged accommodation for the women in Singapore.

35-year-old Pongsakorn said he held an administrative role, responding to customers and editing the women's photographs.

The last of the accused, 33-year-old Nanthanee, denied being part of the network and said she lent her bank account unaware of what it was used for.

All five face prostitution-related charges of procuring women, running and profiting from prostitution, advertising sexual services, money laundering, and taking part in a transnational criminal organisation, reported The Thaiger.

Thai police did not state how many women were sent to Singapore or if any of them remain in Singapore.

The case began in Singapore

The case began in Singapore, with officers from the specialised crime branch of Singapore's Criminal Investigation Department giving information about the online prostitution network that was moving women across countries to Thai investigators.

According to The Thaiger, Thai investigators traced the subjects, finding transfers and proceeds from prostitution linked to a network identified as Lover's Fortress.

Investigators said the network ran through two websites named 7th Heaven and 7th Heaven 2.

Thai police obtained arrest warrants, and searches were conducted at two addresses.

15 phones, three computers and laptops, 16 bank books and 10 ATM cards were found alongside 100,000 baht (S$3,794) in cash and jewellery.

The seized items were valued at more than 350,000 baht (S$13,280).