Police have confirmed that the young women who went missing from Senxinyuan, an employment agency in Shenzhen's Buji Town, are believed to have been abducted and taken to Hong Kong to work as prostitutes, reports Daily Sunshine.

A 40-year-old Hunan man, surnamed Ma, was caught by Senxinyuan's security guards on October 12, police said in their first official comment on the case.

Ma confessed to having lured young women with promises of high-salary jobs into the hands of "buyers", two men from Hong Kong and Sichuan, respectively.

He received 1,000 yuan (US$120) per woman and targeted Senxinyuan, Ma said.

He claimed to be uncertain whether the abduction racket was also active at other Shenzhen employment agencies.

A total of 13 cellphone SIM cards were found at his flat, all of which are believed to have belonged to his victims.

Buji police have set up an 18-person task force to investigate the case further

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