Police arrested a mute Thai man in the southern province of Phattalung for tricking young boys into engaging in sexual activities with him and secretly recording explicit videos to sell on the Telegram app.
Officers from the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) received a tip-off from the International Protection Alliance (IPA) that a 34 year old Thai man, Phuwadon, shared multiple lewd videos of himself engaging in sexual activity with young boys in a secret Telegram group.
Members of the group had to pay a fee to access the videos. These fees were transferred to Phuwadon’s account, enabling the IPA to identify him.
CIB officers investigated the account and gathered evidence to obtain an arrest warrant from the Phattalung Provincial Court. They then raided his home and arrested him on the premises.
They found explicit footage of young boys on his mobile phone, as well as conversations with the young victims and other members of the secret group.
As Phuwadon is mute, the questioning was conducted via a sign language interpreter. He confessed to the criminal actions that led to him facing two charges:
- Section 287(1) of the Criminal Law: Producing, possessing, importing, exporting, or distributing indecent documents, paintings, publications, pictures, advertisements, photos, films, voice records, or other materials. The penalty is imprisonment of up to three years, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
- Section 287(2) of the Criminal Law: Trading or engaging in trade involving such indecent items. The penalty is up to three years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both.
- Section 6 of the Act of Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking: operating human trafficking. The penalty is imprisonment from six months to four years, a fine from 50,000 to 400,000 baht, or both.
In a previous operation reported last year, Thai police arrested a photographer from Samut Prakan province following a tip-off from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
During a raid on his home, officers found over 4,000 files of child pornography in his possession. The suspect claimed that he had never sold the footage and had only kept it for his use.
Another case of child sexual abuse came to light in the central province of Pathum Thani in September last year. A Thai man was arrested for imprisoning and raping his 14 year old daughter, and for selling footage of the sexual abuse online.
The suspect continued to deny the accusations, claiming that the girl had consented to the sex to benefit the family financially.
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