Taoyuan City’s Zhongli Precinct recently uncovered an illegal brothel operation. Police investigations revealed that the operation was run by 26-year-old Du, a member of the Tiandao Alliance’s Tongxin Society. Du lured runaway girls with the promise of “free housing,” then forced them to entertain 7 to 8 clients daily for only NT$1,000 (approximately RM150) per day. He also coerced the girls into filming explicit content and resorted to violence when they resisted, employing particularly cruel methods.
Authorities reported that on November 10, social workers from Tiansheng Hospital and the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Center alerted police about underage girls being held and forced into sex work. In response, Zhongli police formed a special task force in coordination with the juvenile division. Under the direction of the Taoyuan District Prosecutors Office, officers conducted an investigation and successfully raided Du’s brothel. Seized items included mobile phones, laptops, a stun gun, a samurai sword, NT$310,000 (~RM46,500) in illegal earnings, and jewelry valued at approximately NT$1.3 million (~RM195,000). Ten underage girls were rescued, and Du along with nine other suspects were arrested. Authorities have also identified 25 clients involved in the case.
Police said Du not only forced the girls into sexual activities but also attempted to profit by imitating “creative content” schemes, filming and selling explicit videos of minors. When the girls refused, he threatened them with violence and forced them to sign loan agreements worth up to NT$850,000 (~RM127,500). Du even coerced some girls into signing “organ donation consent forms,” threatening to sell their organs to ensure compliance. The operation only came to light when one girl managed to escape and alert authorities.
Du and the nine other suspects are now facing charges under Taiwan’s Human Trafficking Prevention Act, Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act, and relevant Criminal Code provisions on offenses against public morality. Zhongli Precinct Chief Lin Ding-tai stated that the police will continue to crack down on organized crime and maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward sexual exploitation. He urged the public to report any suspected human trafficking or child sexual exploitation immediately to 110 or 113 to help protect society.
