Thai Child Modelling Agent Arrested For Child Sexual Abuse

Child sexual abuse: Police in Thailand arrested a 23-year-old Danudet Sangkaew, child modelling agent after a raid at his office uncovered more than half a million images related to child sexual abuse.

These images involved at least 40 minors from Thailand, and thousands of children from around the world.

Danudet goes by the nickname “Nene” and ran one of Thailand’s top modelling agencies, Nene Modelling Agency. On February 16, 2021, Thailand’s department of special investigations (DSI) announced that the raid at the agency took place on February 11, 2021, following a tip-off from the Australian police. Operation Underground Railroad, a non-profit group that specialises in the rescue of child sex trafficking victims, along with police and federal investigators from New Zealand were also involved in the investigation.

According to the authorities, Danudet’s victims are all male minors between the ages of six and fifteen. The agent approached the victims through schools by pretending to search for young models. This access allowed him to target children, build ties with their parents and eventually abuse them. A confiscated portfolio of the modelling agency reveals that the agency worked with more than 8,400 child models since 2013.

The confiscation of more than half a million images is considered to be “the biggest confiscation in history,” according to Operation Underground Railroad’s Supree Saowichit. Danudet is currently detained at the Bangkok Remand Prison and facing various charges of sexually assaulting children under the age of 13 and child pornography.