BANGKOK — Thai authorities arrested a 29-year-old woman Tuesday accused of forcing her 12-year-old daughter to work as a prostitute at a Tokyo massage parlor, police said.
The woman, identified by police as Laksana, was taken into custody at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport after being extradited from Taiwan, where she had fled after leaving her daughter in Japan.
Pol. Col. Narong Theswibul, deputy commander of Thailand’s Immigration Bureau, said the suspect took her daughter to Japan in June under the pretense of working at a legitimate massage shop during school break. Upon arriving in Tokyo, she brought the girl to a massage parlor in the Bunkyo district and arranged with the owner for her to provide sexual services.
Japanese media Mainichi reported that this human trafficking case, often called modern-day slavery, affects children even in Japan.
According to investigators, the girl serviced foreign clients throughout her time in Japan. Regular massages cost 8,000 yen ($51) per hour, while sexual services cost 12,000 yen ($77) per hour. The massage parlor owner transferred payments to a Japanese bank account, which were then converted to Thai baht and deposited into Laksana’s personal account in Thailand, police said.
The woman later traveled to Taiwan for work, leaving her daughter at the massage parlor. The girl tried repeatedly to contact her mother without success.
In mid-September, the girl escaped from the massage parlor and sought help from Tokyo immigration officials. Japanese authorities placed her in protective custody before returning her to Thailand. Tokyo police subsequently arrested a Japanese massage parlor owner connected to the exploitation.
The case triggered international law enforcement coordination. Taiwanese authorities arrested the woman and handed her over to officers from Thailand’s Anti-Human Trafficking Division on Monday.
During questioning at Bangkok’s Central Investigation Bureau, the suspect confessed to taking her daughter to work at the massage parlor, police said.
She faces charges of procuring a child under 15 for indecent purposes, committing the offense against her own descendant, and human trafficking.
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