Caught in a vice: A number of the GROs and men detained during the raid at an entertainment centre on Jalan Pudu Ulu in Kuala Lumpur.
KUALA LUMPUR: Over 70 women and nine men have been arrested in a bust at an entertainment centre on Jalan Pudu Ulu here that allegedly offering “guest relation officers” (GROs) dressed in provocative nightwear.
In the 12.45am raid by the Kuala Lumpur branch of the Immigration Department as part of the Ops Gegar #KLStrikeForce campaign, 72 women – 61 from Thailand, 10 from Vietnam, one from Laos – were detained for various immigration-related offences.
Also nabbed were nine Malaysians who were the outlet’s managers and caretakers, said the department’s KL director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff.
One of the Malaysian men had attempted to obstruct the Immigration officers during the raid, he told reporters, Bernama reported.
“The operation, which involved 29 officers from the KL Immigration Department, saw individuals ranging aged between 23 and 58 being arrested,” he told reporters after the raid, which concluded at 3am.
The entertainment centre was targeted after the authorities received public complaints that it was offering GRO services that cost between RM100 and RM5,000.
The Malaysian managers and caretakers will be investigated under Sections 56(1)(d) and 55E of the Immigration Act for harbouring undocumented migrants.
The foreign women were found to have violated several provisions of the Immigration Act 1969, including Section 6(1)(c) for not having a valid travel document, and Sections 15 and 15(1)(c) for expired passports and overstaying.
