Beijing, Sep 24 (IANS) A Chinese man who kept six "sex slaves" in his basement prison, forced the women into prostitution and to feature in pornographic videos posted on the Internet to make money, police investigators said Saturday, a day after the case was exposed and shocked the nation.


Li Hao, the 34-year-old married suspect who has a son, told police investigators in Luoyang, central Henan province, that he dug the basement two years ago wanting to enter the lucrative business of running pornographic websites, reported Xinhua.

Six girls were forced against their will into the basement, where Li repeatedly raped them and forced them to perform porn shows and prostitution, police said.

Two girls who fought back were tortured, and eventually killed, police added. Their bodies were found Sep 3 when police raided the basement on a tip off from relatives of one of Li's "sex slaves" who managed to escape.

Police freed three other girls and arrested Li.

The horrific nature of the case has shocked the nation, prompting local authorities to launch an overhaul of entertainment venues -- beauty parlours, karaoke halls, saunas, and Internet cafes, while boosting an "online cleansing" campaign to crack down on pornography websites.