Uzbek woman wanted for human trafficking arrested in Pattaya
Police arrested an Uzbek woman wanted under an Interpol Red Notice for human trafficking in Pattaya on Wednesday, December 17.
Officers from Chon Buri Immigration Police conducted background checks on foreign nationals who had recently applied for visa-related services and detected irregularities involving a 22 year old Uzbek national, Khurshida Urmanova. They found that she had overstayed her visa by 112 days, or nearly four months.
Further checks revealed that Urmanova was listed on Interpol’s Red Notice for her alleged involvement in a serious human trafficking network. Immigration police said the Red Notice was issued after she had already entered Thailand.
According to investigators, Urmanova was part of a criminal gang that targeted young women in Uzbekistan. The group allegedly deceived victims by offering promises of well-paid jobs in Bangkok and Pattaya, persuading them to travel to Thailand.
Once the victims arrived, the gang reportedly confiscated their passports to prevent them from leaving. The criminals then allegedly demanded US$5,000 from each victim in exchange for the return of their documents and their freedom.
The victims were later forced to provide sex services and were told they could only regain their passports after earning enough money to meet the ransom demand. Many complied out of desperation, hoping to secure their release.
After confirming Urmanova’s background, immigration officers launched a sting operation to arrest her. Officers contacted her and lured her into visiting the Chon Buri Immigration Office for visa renewing. Once she arrived at the office, police arrested her and informed her of the legal charges she faced.
At the initial stage, Urmanova was transferred to investigators at Mueang Pattaya Police Station where she was officially charged for her visa overstay.
Immigration police said they are coordinating with relevant agencies to extradite Urmanova back to Uzbekistan so she can face human trafficking charges in accordance with international extradition procedures.
The arrest follows a series of recent cases involving suspects wanted under Interpol Red Notices. On Monday, December 15, a Kazakh man wanted for a large-scale fraud operation was arrested in Phuket.
On December 16, a Chinese national wanted for his role in a call centre scam network causing billions of baht in losses was arrested at Suvarnabhumi International Airport.
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