Pair claim they have nothing to do with trafficking or earlier arrests in the UK

Police have arrested a man and a woman linked to a prostitution ring forcing women into the flesh trade overseas.

The two are Worapoj Pittayanukul, 60, and Pilaiporn Sathienthanakorn, 54.

"We been searching for these two since warrants were issued on April 24," says police Children, Juvenile and Women's Division chief Maj-General Wimol Pao-in.

Scotland Yard in the UK nabbed Pongpoj and Bodee Pittayanukul, sons of Worapoj, on April 21, along with his brother Pittayanukul. Wimol says Worapoj handled some finances for the gang.

Worapoj denies being involved and says he was ignorant of his son's activities.

Bankrupt past

"Had I known, I would have stopped him," he says. Worapoj is a businessman bankrupted in the 1997 financial crisis.

Pilaiporn also denies being involved in trafficking.

Both are charged with procuring girls and women for sexual services.

Police say the women involved were forced to change their surnames to Sathienthanakorn, after which Pilaiporn took them to neighbouring countries like Malaysia on holiday, allowing the women to build up credible passport records. They then applied for UK visas.

When they arrived in Britain, they were forced into prostitution for the gang or sold to other brothels.