Bangkok (VNA) – A total of nine people, including a Chinese couple, werearrested in raids of a surrogacy ring in Bangkok capital city, and PathumThani  and Sukhothai provinces onFebruary 13.

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

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

Thewomen and the Chinese man were held in police custody for legal action. Thechild was placed in the care of welfare officials.

Theraids followed a police investigation into a group of Chinese nationals theyhired Thai women as surrogate mothers, which is illegal.

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

Oncethe Protection of Children Born from Assisted Reproductive Technologies Act2015 took effect, the surrogacy network had instead arranged for the women theyhired to be impregnated with donor sperm in a neighbouring country, and thenreturn to Thailand.

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

TheRoyal Thai Police Office would work with Chinese authorities in finding thewhereabouts of the babies, he added.

PolMaj Gen Torsak Sukvimol, deputy commissioner of the Central InvestigationBureau, said the investigation found that the Chinese suspect had run a companyas a front to hire Thai women. At least 100 women across the country had beenhired by the gang to be surrogate mothers.

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

Thegang also had other assets worth about 100 million baht, which would beexamined, said Torsak./.