SINGAPORE: Two Singaporean men have been arrested in Thailand for their alleged involvement in operating a transnational vice syndicate that recruited foreign women and sent them to Singapore to work in the vice trade, police said on Thursday (Oct 29).

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said in a news release that the cross-border operation, conducted on Sep 15 in collaboration with the Royal Thai Police (RTP), led to the arrest of the two men, aged 42 and 46.

Two Thai women, aged 33 and 37, were also arrested, Singapore police added. Meanwhile RTP’s Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) reported that a fifth suspect - a 35-year-old Thai man - was summoned by Thai investigators to be informed of the allegations against him. He was not among the four people arrested.

Separately, SPF said anti-vice operations conducted in Singapore from October 2025 to September 2026 have led to the arrest of 19 vice workers who were managed by the syndicate.

“Investigations into the vice workers yielded useful leads about the vice syndicate’s modus operandi,” police said. A vice worker is questioned during anti-vice operations in Singapore related to the syndicate.

SPF's Specialised Crime Branch, under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), subsequently worked with the RTP's Technology Crime Suppression Division under the CIB to share investigative findings and identify syndicate members.

Thai investigators also examined bank transactions suspected to be linked to prostitution activities before obtaining arrest warrants for the four suspects, CIB said in a Facebook post.

Following extensive planning between the SPF and RTP, three syndicate members were arrested on Sep 15.

Assets valued at more than 350,000 baht (US$10,365) comprising cash, bankbooks, bank cards, computers, mobile phones, and land title deeds together with sale and mortgage agreements were seized by the RTP.

Following those leads, Thai police arrested the fourth syndicate member on Oct 21, with more mobile phones, bankbooks and bank cards being seized. Items are seized following from the cross-border anti-vice operations executed in Thailand by the Royal Thai Police.

CIB said that during initial questioning, the 46-year-old Singaporean man, identified as Leow, admitted to recruiting Thai women for prostitution in Singapore since 2019. He identified the 42-year-old Singaporean, referred to as Aaron, as his business partner.

The network, known as Lover's Fortress, allegedly used websites to recruit Thai women for prostitution in Singapore, according to Thai police.

Leow also told investigators that the network used Telegram, LINE and WhatsApp to communicate with customers.

The 37-year-old Thai woman, identified by CIB as Aphaphon, told police that she was Leow's wife and had been responsible for running the network's online storefront, finding customers and coordinating with agencies and accommodation providers.

Meanwhile, the 33-year-old Thai woman - identified by CIB as Nanthani - said she had lent her bank account to another person but maintained that she did not know what it would be used for.

The 35-year-old Thai man, identified by CIB as Pongsakorn, admitted to working as an administrator who responded to customer enquiries and edited photographs of women in the network under Aphaphon's instructions, according to Thai police.

Suspects are photographed with Thai police officers following cross-border anti-vice operations executed in Thailand by the Royal Thai Police.

The allegations against the suspects include procuring women for prostitution, facilitating and advertising prostitution, money laundering and participation in a transnational criminal organisation.

SPF on Thursday said the successful outcome of the arrest operation by Thai police underscores the importance of international cooperation in tackling the evolving threat of transnational syndicated crimes.

“Transnational criminal networks may operate across borders, but so do strong law enforcement partnerships,” said Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police and CID director Julius Lim.

“This operation shows what Singapore and Thailand can achieve through timely intelligence-sharing, coordinated investigations, and decisive action.”Meanwhile, the CIB of the RTP expressed its to the SPF for its steadfast support throughout the investigation and operation.

“By consolidating our investigative findings and acting swiftly on the available intelligence, we were able to locate and apprehend the syndicate members in Thailand,” said CIB Commissioner Nutthasak Chaovanasai.

“The CIB will continue to strengthen this close partnership and take firm action to prevent such criminal groups from re-establishing their operations and causing further harm to the public.”