Police in Hong Kong on Wednesday said they had arrested and charged a woman after two people from the SAR were lured to Southeast Asia and forced to take part in scams, with the victims' families paying ransoms to have them freed.

The announcement came as SAR officials vowed to work with Bangkok to try to rescue a dozen Hongkongers being held captive in countries neighbouring Thailand.

Police said a beauty worker, 32, had been charged with conspiracy to defraud and was due to appear at Shatin Magistrates' Courts on Thursday.

At a press conference, officers said she was suspected of enticing two women, aged 21 and 23, to Thailand in late December. The women were driven to a "scam hub" in Myanmar where they were forced to take part in fraudulent activities, officers said.

The pair returned to Hong Kong this month after their families paid ransoms, police said.

The women told officers there were armed guards at the site where they were held and the area was surrounded by a barbed wire fence.

Chief Inspector Yu Pok-hon said the arrested woman is believed to have socialised with the two victims to gain their trust, before offering them free travel and job opportunities in Thailand.

The force urged people to be wary of online adverts promising jobs with large salaries, and not to put too much trust in friends they have made only recently.

Meanwhile, Security Secretary Chris Tang said he has been briefed by a government task force sent to Thailand over reports of other Hongkongers being held in dangerous locations after being tricked into travelling to Bangkok.

Tang said the administration will continue to liaise with Thai authorities to bring home 12 SAR residents being held prisoner in Myanmar and Cambodia.

More than a dozen other victims have already returned to Hong Kong, officials said on Tuesday.
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Last updated: 2025-01-15 HKT 20:03