A prostitution syndicate sold the virginity of a 15-year-old girl to a real estate agent for HK$20,000 but the girl was paid only HK$100, police said in a media briefing on Friday.
Police busted a prostitution syndicate and arrested four people on Thursday night for manipulating underage girls into prostitution. The four included a 37-year-old woman, also the mastermind of the syndicate, and her three assistants – two men aged 19 and 29 and an 18-year-old woman.
The four were all members of triad society and were arrested for control over persons for purpose of prostitution and possessing child pornography.
Only the 18-year-old woman was released on bail. The other three were remanded in custody and police will soon initiate prosecution procedures against them.
The 43-year-old agent, who was a regular “client” of the syndicate, had been charged with having sex with a girl under the age of 16 and making child pornography. He appeared in Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts on Friday morning already.
Police said they are still searching for men that had slept with the underage girls and added more arrests may be made.
Police also identified three girls aged 15 and one aged 17 controlled by the syndicate. One of the 15-year-old girls is a missed person reported by her family back in February.
Officers said the mastermind created a channel on messaging app Telegram over a year ago and attracted whoremasters with seductive wordings and sexy photos of the young girls.
The mastermind would then negotiate terms and prices with interested clients and charged them about HK$6,000 to HK$7,000 each time they slept with the girls. However, the girls were paid only a few hundred dollars for their services.
As for the assistants, they were responsible for recruiting girls on social media. They also approached girls hanging out at parks or playgrounds. Sometimes the girls were sent to different hotels to serve the clients and the syndicate even offered accommodation for girls who left their homes.
During the operation, police seized over HK$15,000 cash and some luxury handbags, jewelries, sneakers and perfume that were gifted to the girls by the syndicate. Police continued that most of the items were counterfeit but the girls couldn't tell.
Police warned that anyone convicted of having sex with a girl under 16 could be sentenced to five-year imprisonment.
The four were all members of triad society and were arrested for control over persons for purpose of prostitution and possessing child pornography.
Only the 18-year-old woman was released on bail. The other three were remanded in custody and police will soon initiate prosecution procedures against them.
The 43-year-old agent, who was a regular “client” of the syndicate, had been charged with having sex with a girl under the age of 16 and making child pornography. He appeared in Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts on Friday morning already.
Police said they are still searching for men that had slept with the underage girls and added more arrests may be made.
Police also identified three girls aged 15 and one aged 17 controlled by the syndicate. One of the 15-year-old girls is a missed person reported by her family back in February.
Officers said the mastermind created a channel on messaging app Telegram over a year ago and attracted whoremasters with seductive wordings and sexy photos of the young girls.
The mastermind would then negotiate terms and prices with interested clients and charged them about HK$6,000 to HK$7,000 each time they slept with the girls. However, the girls were paid only a few hundred dollars for their services.
As for the assistants, they were responsible for recruiting girls on social media. They also approached girls hanging out at parks or playgrounds. Sometimes the girls were sent to different hotels to serve the clients and the syndicate even offered accommodation for girls who left their homes.
During the operation, police seized over HK$15,000 cash and some luxury handbags, jewelries, sneakers and perfume that were gifted to the girls by the syndicate. Police continued that most of the items were counterfeit but the girls couldn't tell.
Police warned that anyone convicted of having sex with a girl under 16 could be sentenced to five-year imprisonment.