Speaking on a radio program this morning, Undersecretary for Security Michael Cheuk Hau-yip said the number of alleged victims they were trying to help had risen to 37, including 23 still being held prisoner in Cambodia and Myanmar.

Cheuk said 14 of the suspected victims were out of the clutches of the trafficking gangs, with 11 of them already back in Hong Kong.

He said authorities have been seeking assistance from Chinese embassies and consulates, and liaising with counterparts in Southeast Asia and Interpol to follow up on the incident.

Following the arrest of the 29-year-old man this morning, police have so far arrested four men and two women aged between 17 and 51 in Hong Kong in connection with the suspected job scams.

Cheuk believed those arrested were from the same trafficking ring, and that he did not rule out further arrests as the investigation continues.

Meanwhile, 30-year-old Ma Che-hou - one of the six arrested, has been brought to the Eastern Magistrates' Courts this morning. He was charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud.

The charges alleged that Ma had in last month told a man that he could earn 1 million Thai Baht by traveling to Thailand, with the man later held captive in Myanmar. Ma was also said to have scammed another local woman of HK$35,000.