A complaint by the mother of a 14-year-old girl who was lured into prostitution in Nakhon Ratchasima’s Muang district led to the AHTD operation on Saturday to rescue the girl and three other underage girls, AHTD chief Pol Maj General Kornchai Klayklueng said in Bangkok.

The 34-year-old mother filed a complaint with the Pathum Thani-based Pavena Foundation for Women and Children on May 17, saying her daughter had run away from home after being invited by a Facebook friend to enter the sex trade in Nakhon Ratchasima. Kornchai sent officers to investigate and they found that the girl had been staying at a hotel with five friends aged between 14 and 16.

Undercover officers contacted the Facebook user – who turned out to be a 15-year-old girl seeking commission by finding girls to enter the sex trade – by phone and Line asking to buy sex. The officers then were sent pictures of teenagers including the 14-year-old runaway.

Officers asked for the procurer to bring two 16-year-old girls to another hotel room on Saturday, promising to pay Bt1,200 for each girl. When they showed up and the deal was agreed, they made an arrest while another team picked up the other girls in the hotel.

Kornchai also reported another bust in the South after 42-year-old Kanokporn Noree, who allegedly led a Songkhla-based prostitution ring that provided sex services from girls aged between 13 and 15, was arrested in a sting operation at a Hat Yai resort hotel on Sunday.

Kanokporn allegedly organised the prostitution ring after a major Hat Yai operation providing underage prostitutes from orders taken online was busted.

The leader of that ring, Sanan Wansam-ngam, was arrested in December and is currently in prison.

Kanokporn allegedly took over Sanan’s customer base, sending underage girls to perform sex in exchange for payment of Bt3,000 to Bt5,000 per customer. The girls received Bt1,000.

In the AHTD sting operation, Kanokporn was arrested as she showed up at the resort hotel with a 13-year-old Mathayom 1 schoolgirl.