Two Indians arrested in Pattaya for forcing women into prostitution

2026-03-02 - 02:33

PATTAYA — 28 February 2026, Two Indian men have been arrested in Pattaya after three Indian women accused them of luring them to Thailand with false job offers and forcing them into prostitution, police said. Pol. Col. Anek Sarathongyu, chief of Pattaya City Police Station, and Pol. Lt. Col. Arut Saphanon, deputy investigation chief, announced the arrest of two Indian men, a 25-year-old and a 32-year-old. The three women told police they were contacted by the suspects via Instagram and offered jobs at a restaurant in Pattaya with high salaries and all travel expenses covered. They arrived in Thailand on 9 February 2026 and were taken to a hotel in Moo 10, Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district. According to the complaint, the suspects then demanded money, confiscated the women’s passports and cut off their contact with outsiders before detaining them in a hotel room. The women alleged they were subsequently forced to engage in prostitution along Pattaya South Beach every day. If they refused, they were threatened, deprived of food and photographed in compromising situations. The suspects allegedly threatened to send the images to their families and to harm relatives if they attempted to flee. The victims sit across from investigators as they answer questions at the police station Police said the women were forced into prostitution from 9 February to 18 February 2026. They later devised an escape plan by asking for their passports under the pretext of booking a room with a client, then sought help from a local Indian restaurant before filing a police complaint. On 27 February 2026, investigators learned the suspects were staying at an apartment on Pattaya Second Road Soi 18 and moved in to arrest them. The two men were taken into custody and handed over to investigators at the Pattaya City Police Station. Both suspects have denied the allegations. Police have charged them with multiple offences, including joint human trafficking, unlawful detention, coercion, procuring for prostitution and violations of the Computer Crime Act. Legal proceedings are continuing. Two of the alleged traffickers arrested by police