Woman detained for luring 80 Thais to Switzerland for prostitution
Vienna - A Thai woman has been placed in detention for trafficking some 80 compatriots to Switzerland, where they were forced to work as prostitutes, Swiss police and prosecutors said Monday in Bern.
The 57-year-old suspect lured her victims by taking advantage of their poverty or by promising them normal jobs in Switzerland, the authorities said.
Once the trafficked persons reached their destination, they were forced to pay off between 25,000 and 30,000 Swiss francs(25,300-30,400 dollars) in "travel debts" by working in brothels in various Swiss regions including Bern and Zurich, the investigators said.
The brothel owners kept half of this money, while the other half went to the main Thai suspect.
She was detained in October 2014 at Zurich airport after she had brought several victims to Switzerland and had collected money from brothels.
A police spokesman told dpa that the investigation has been completed, and that prosecutors are now working on the indictment.
