12 cross-dressers taken off the streets

End to night outing: One of the transvestites checking his belongings during the raid in Chulia Street, Penang.

GEORGE TOWN: Twelve transvestites including an Indonesian were arrested in Chulia Street here for various offences such as gang robbery.

George Town OCPD Asst Comm Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said the transvestites were caught along the street at about 11pm on Wednesday, during a raid.

“Chulia Street is a place crowded with tourists and it is not right to have men impersonating women there,” he said when contacted yesterday.

He said that of the 12 detained, five were involved in gang robbing a foreign tourist and six were investigated under Section 28 of the state Syariah Criminal Enactment 1996 for posing as women.

The Indonesian transvestite was found to have violated his social visit pass.

ACP Mior said police would carry out an investigation before taking the necessary action.