Police have charged a man who lured young girls to send him obscene photos of themselves online with human trafficking and having in possession child pornography.
The offences carry a heavy penalty of 10 years in jail or a fine of 200,000 baht, Thailand Internet Crimes Against Children (Ticac) police said on Monday.
Pol Maj Gen Kornchai Klaiklueng, deputy chief of the operation, said early this year, the Ticac operation centre has received tipoffs from a damaged party that a Facebook user had deceived her into sending him nude photos and video clips in exchange for tens of thousands of baht.
The victim said after she sent the media, the suspect forced her to send more and threatened to expose them online if she refused. She later found her photos online anyway, leading her to report to police.
Police later identified the suspect as a graphic designer working for a TV station.
Police arrested him at his house in Bangkok on June 5 and found evidence on his computer, mobile phones, tablet and hard disks. A check found almost 50 girls had fallen victim.
They added the suspect targeted girls aged 13-18 and used a Facebook account claiming to be a modelling agency to attract young girls. He then persuaded them to send the clips and photos which he later sold to a Line chat app group.