A total of nine people, including a Chinese couple, were arrested in raids of a surrogacy ring in Bangkok capital city, and Pathum Thani  and Sukhothai provinces on February 13.

Women hired to be surrogate mothers are ushered into a police van following a raid on a house in Bangkok's Lat Prao district shortly before dawn on February 13. (Photo: bangkokpost.com)

More than 200 police and officials from other agencies were involved in the operations.

They found six Thai women, a 30-month-old boy and a Chinese man. Most of the women were surrogate mothers, according to the police.

The women and the Chinese man were held in police custody for legal action. The child was placed in the care of welfare officials.

The raids followed a police investigation into a group of Chinese nationals they hired Thai women as surrogate mothers, which is illegal.

Pol Maj Gen Worawat Watnakornbancha, chief of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Division (ATPD), said each woman earns 400,000-600,000 THB (12,850-19,280 USD.

Once the Protection of Children Born from Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act 2015 took effect, the surrogacy network had instead arranged for the women they hired to be impregnated with donor sperm in a neighbouring country, and then return to Thailand.

When they were due, the women were flown to China and gave birth there. Afterwards, they returned to Thailand alone, the ATPD chief said.

The Royal Thai Police Office would work with Chinese authorities in finding the whereabouts of the babies, he added.

Pol Maj Gen Torsak Sukvimol, deputy commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said the investigation found that the Chinese suspect had run a company as a front to hire Thai women. At least 100 women across the country had been hired by the gang to be surrogate mothers.

Authorities also seized assets from nine suspects, including 16 vehicles with a combined value of 15 million THB, a house and a company in Lat Phrao area worth about 20 million THB.

The gang also had other assets worth about 100 million baht, which would be examined, said Torsak.

(Source: VNA)