Police have uncovered the nation's biggest gigolo training center -- which is thought to have trained and provided 417 male prostitutes -- local media reported yesterday.
Police in Taipei's Wanhua Police Precinct on Friday night arrested a gigolo, surnamed Lee (李), at a hotel in the Hsimenting area for the crime of prostitution.
Lee, 19, who worked at Johnny's Entertainment Center (
They arrested the owner, Tsao Wei-yu (曹偉鈺), eight managers and two accountants at the center -- which had disguised itself as a dance school.
Police also uncovered a list of names of 417 suspected male prostitutes.
Police say the center was established last November.
It offered a variety of classes to gigolos including courses on striptease and ways to pamper their clients. It also served as a broker for the sex trade, officials said.
The center's gigolos usually performed striptease at private clubs or parties. They also provide sex services, priced from NT$10,000 up to NT$25,000. The center received a 50 percent commission from the gigolos for each service.
Take Lee, for example. The arrested gigolo is currently a student at a college of physical education and sports. He read the center's advertisement published in a newspaper recently and decided to join it out of curiosity.
In response to the case, Tsao, the owner, yesterday denied the accusation that his center served as a broker for the sex trade, saying that it was Lee's personal conduct and had nothing to do with the center.
However, police did not believe his story and will try to track down prostitutes listed at the center in the next few days.
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