The owner of a karaoke bar in Kompong Thom province was charged with procuring prostitution on Thursday after authorities raided the establishment earlier this week and found that he had been pimping a 15-year-old employee to patrons.
Military police raided the bar in Stong district on Tuesday evening in response to a complaint filed by the victim’s mother. Officers arrested the owner, Ban Sy, 33, rescued the underage girl and sent both for questioning at the provincial police headquarters.
“We sent him to provincial court this morning at about 9 a.m., and he is already in prison,” said Bun Khy, chief of the provincial police’s judicial bureau.
Ith Sothea, the deputy prosecutor handling the case, said Mr. Sy was charged with procuring child prostitution, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison
Mr. Sothea said that it was unclear whether Mr. Sy’s wife—who helped run the bar and was present during the raid—would also be charged, explaining that she had not been arrested because she was pregnant.
In her complaint, the teenage victim’s mother said her daughter ran away from home about two weeks ago after an argument about her new husband, district military police commander Kang Saro said on Thursday.
“She showed a picture of her daughter to villagers in Stong district, and some people who recognized her face suspected she might be working in the karaoke place,” Mr. Saro said, adding that while the karaoke bar was not shut down permanently, it had been closed since the raid.
Deputy district police chief Thann Buntheng said the 15-year-old worked at the bar for 17 days after running away from home late last month. He said she briefly worked there as a waitress and karaoke-machine operator earlier this year but was only instructed to have sex with customers recently.
“She told police that she only went with a patron once and that she received $100,” he said.
