SHANGHAI, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Three teenage school girls in Shanghai have been charged with persuading classmates to join them in a prostitution ring, local authorities said.
The charges came after authorities caught about 20 teenage girls, two of them below age 14, allegedly offering sexual services for money, China Daily reported Tuesday.
The three girls, who allegedly operated the ring online, were charged with organizing prostitution and procuring, and taking commissions from the other girls for helping them contact customers, the report said.
A prosecutor said the prostitution ring was set up in 2009 when the three girls began offering sex service and sought other girls to join them. The girls' online business would allegedly arrange appointments for customers at hotels.
The report said the girls were caught after a customer reported the theft of a valuable watch to the local police.
The prosecutor said several of girls joined the ring only to earn some spending money and did not realize they were breaking the law.
