The Thai and Omani police rescued 21 Thai women who were forced into prostitution in Muscat, Oman by conducting a raid on a six-storey apartment where the victims were being held.
The women were reportedly lured from a post in a Facebook group “Finding work in Pattaya + Hiring.” They were promised masseuse jobs at a spa that would generate at least a THB100,000 per month, and they wouldn’t even need to pay for their travel fees, according to Daily News.
However, when they arrived at the address where they were supposed to begin work, they were cut off from all types of communications, had their passports taken away, and were told they owed the owner OMR1,600 (THB160,000).
The victims were forced into prostitution work on the streets from 7pm to 5am everyday. If they were unable to get any customers, they would have to sleep on the streets. If they made any money, their captors would take all of it away to prevent them from fleeing.
The rescue proceeded after the police received tips from three Thai women that managed to escape and sought help from the Royal Thai Embassy in Muscat.
Tragically, some of the rescued victims have been infected with HIV because some customers refused to use condoms.
The police were able to arrest five suspects who were involved in the scam, three of them are Thai women.
After further interrogation, Thai police said that there are many more women in Oman that are still being held and forced into prostitution. They are currently cooperating with the Omani police force in order to save the captive women, reported CH7 News.
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