Police free 46 karaoke hostesses from ring that traps girls under 16 with fake debts
Police in northern Vietnam have rescued 46 karaoke hostesses, at least 12 of them under 16, and instituted criminal proceedings against eight people accused of running a ring that bought and resold girls between karaoke parlors.
Hanoi police uncovered a ring that exploited girls under 16 by promising them easy work and high pay through fake debt ads on social media. The operation targeted karaoke hostesses, with the primary suspect being Dinh Quoc Hoang, the owner of Kimochi karaoke parlor in Vinh Thanh Commune. Hoang, along with six other individuals, has been arrested and charged under Article 151 of the Penal Code, which addresses trafficking in persons under 16.
The group used multiple stages to locate, buy, sell, and manage victims, operating from various locations in Hanoi and surrounding provinces. During a simultaneous raid on September 20, authorities rescued 34 hostesses, with 12 under the age of 16, from three karaoke venues in Hanoi, as well as five from a parlor in Lao Cai and seven from Ninh Binh.
The victims were subjected to forced labor, with one girl from Cao Bang being trafficked to a karaoke parlor in Hai Phong. Once at Kimochi, she was forced to work off a debt of VND30 million ($1,147). In some cases, the victims were deceived by promises of food and lodging without any payment. The investigation is ongoing, and police are working to locate additional suspects involved in this trafficking ring.
Written by urgent.news from VnExpress International's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
