This is the dramatic moment police arrested a 16-year-old girl for allegedly selling her classmates for sex.

Officials detained the underage 'madam' and her friend during a sting operation in a hotel room in Buriram, northeastern Thailand.

Police raided the premises on Tuesday following investigations into a Facebook user allegedly peddling minors for sex.

The girl, identified only as 'A', reportedly admitted to procuring schoolgirls for older men to sleep with. Clients were charged 1,500 Baht per session, with her pocketing between 500 and 1,000 Baht as her share.

A claimed her friends had consented to do sex work.

Police Colonel Chusit Lorsang, Deputy Commander of Buriram Provincial Police, said: 'A sting operation was initiated after social media investigations revealed the procurer and sex worker were minors.

'The sex worker agreed to do prostitution because she needed money to go to a party, and had to earn it on her own.

'Parents should monitor their children closely, especially on social media. An investigation is underway to identify who the customers were.

'We found that most of them are elderly. Those found guilty in this case will be prosecuted without exception.'

Social worker Wutthichai Suprom-In, who heads the policy and academic group at the Buriram Provincial Social Development and Human Security Office, said his office will provide care for the affected children and their families in line with their policies.

A was reportedly charged with human trafficking, facilitating or leading minors under 18 into prostitution, enticing or allowing minors to engage in inappropriate behaviour, and unlawfully taking minors from guardians for profit or indecent purposes.

Underage prostitution is common in Thailand despite government efforts to curb it through strict laws and enforcement initiatives. Driven by poverty, trafficking, and lack of education, vulnerable minors are sometimes forced into the sex industry to earn money.