KUALA LUMPUR: The Immigration Department has arrested 139 foreign nationals in raids on 13 alleged vice dens here.
Its enforcement division director Basri Othman said the operation, which began at 11.30am on Sunday (Dec 7), targeted areas frequented by tourists and foreigners, namely Jalan Petaling, Jalan Imbi and Jalan Pudu.
"A total of 205 individuals were screened during the operation, resulting in the arrest of 139 foreigners for immigration offences and 20 locals believed to be acting as 'captains' or caretakers of the premises.
"The foreigners arrested comprised 27 men and 112 women, aged from 20 to 65, from Indonesia, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka," he told reporters after the operation.
According to Basri, the establishments offered services starting from RM60 per session to both foreign and locals.
He said that investigations revealed the premises operated around the clock.
"The inspection also revealed that the premises had been unlawfully modified with the construction of partitions. We will forward this information to the local authorities for enforcement action," he said.
Basri said investigations would be conducted to determine if a single syndicate was in charge of the entire vice operation.
He added that all foreigners detained were taken to the KLIA, Beranang and Semenyih Immigration depots for documentation and further action. – Bernama
