PETALING JAYA: Sixty-four foreign women were detained after authorities busted a prostitution ring operation.
Immigration Department director-general Datuk Ruslin Jusoh said the department also arrested seven locals and eight foreign men in multiple raids at five premises in Cheras and Kepong.
The department has also summoned 20 local men to give their statements as they are believed to have been customers at the premises at the time of the raids, Ruslin said in a statement.
He said the raids were the result of a month-long investigation into the syndicate’s activities.
“The operation began at 9pm and was led by a team of officers from the Putrajaya Immigration Department.
“This operation was conducted based on information gathered for over a month on this syndicate that had been supplying foreign women for the purpose of sex within the Kuala Lumpur area,” he said.
Of the women detained, 43 were Vietnamese, 15 Indonesian and six were of other nationalities.
The foreign men comprised four from Vietnam, three from Bangladesh and one from India. They and the seven locals were believed to have been “Captains” and staff of the premises involved.
All arrested were aged between 25 and 42 years old.
“The raiding teams also seized 48 Vietnamese passports that were found in the premises, as well as a grey SUV. It is believed that this vehicle was used to transport the women”.
Initial investigations revealed that the foreigners had abused their entry visas, while others did not have valid travel documents.
“The modus operandi was that customers will deal with the syndicate using Whatsapp where they would receive a password to enter one of the premises,” Rulsin said.
“Prices were typically about RM230 per hour. It is believed that the group had been active for nearly two years and had promoted their services on social media,” he said.
All the foreigners caught have been brought to the Semenyih depot for further action.
