Fugitive Hong Kong-based human-trafficking suspect invested in child-monitoring app
HK-based man has stake in firm behind application to track children
A Hong Kong-based Japanese man wanted by Thai police for alleged human trafficking invested in an application for mobile devices designed to monitor the movement of children and their family members.
Mitsutoki Shigeta, 24, is a shareholder in Familonet, a Hamburg-based start-up that created an application to automatically alert parents about the movements of their children. Shigeta, who reportedly has a flat in the SoHo district near Central, is believed to own a 4 per cent stake in the company.
There is no evidence linking the app with the human-trafficking accusation that Shigeta is facing.
Following reports about Shigeta, the company said it had "initiated precautionary actions to suspend him as an investor of the company, in case the accusations are confirmed."
Familonet has since taken down photos of the Japanese man from its Facebook site.
Shigeta is wanted by Thai police for suspected involvement in a human-trafficking operation after local officers raided his Bangkok condominium on Tuesday and discovered nine surrogate babies, seven nannies and a pregnant woman.
Thai police suspect that he fathered the children with nine different Thai women in order to sell them.