Rescuing 58 female employees being held in isolation by karaoke bar owner

On October 11, Thanh Hoa Provincial Police said that at around 1:30 a.m. on October 3, 2024, detectives from the Drug Crime Investigation Police Department and the Investigation Police Office of Thanh Hoa Provincial Police arrested 5 subjects related to human trafficking, illegal detention, and indecent acts against people under 16 years old at the G7 Karaoke service business establishment (in village 1, Hoang Ngoc commune, Hoang Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province) run by Nguyen Van Duc (born in 1995), residing in Hoang Phu commune, Hoang Hoa district, Thanh Hoa province; rescuing 58 female victims (including 12 victims under 16 years old).

According to police documents, the G7 Karaoke business is a complex of karaoke and massage businesses with the legal name of Manh Duc Development Company Limited, with Nguyen Van Duc as the owner and operator.

To attract customers to sing, the owner of this establishment used many tricks to recruit female employees aged from 14 to 30 years old. Every day, employees are forced to dress revealingly to serve customers. When employees come to work at Karaoke G7, they are taken to an isolated area for strict management, not allowed to move around freely, and all activities of the employees are closely monitored and tracked.

On October 8, the Investigation Police Agency of Thanh Hoa Province Police initiated a case, prosecuted the accused and issued a detention order for Nguyen Van Duc (born in 1995), Nguyen Van Tuong (born in 2000), both residing in Hoang Phu Commune, Hoang Hoa District, Thanh Hoa Province and Le Viet Cuong (born in 1990), residing in Xuan Phong Commune, Tho Xuan District, Thanh Hoa Province for the act of "Trafficking in persons under 16 years old" as prescribed in Article 151 of the Penal Code.

At the same time, the Thanh Hoa Provincial Police Department also prosecuted Le Quang Thai (born in 1998), residing in Cac Son commune, Nghi Son town, Thanh Hoa province, for the crime of "Illegal detention" under Article 157 of the Penal Code; Vu Doan Duy Khanh (born in 2006), residing in An Thinh commune, Van Yen district, Yen Bai province, was prosecuted for the crime of "Obscenity with a person under 16 years old", under Article 146 of the Penal Code.