PETALING JAYA: Immigration Department raids at spas in the Klang Valley led to the arrest of 19 female foreigners.
In a statement on Thursday (Jan 29), Immigration Department director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operations targeted three areas in Kuala Lumpur and one in Puchong following a two-week surveillance period.
"The operational team was deployed to business premises operating as beauty centres or spas and successfully detained 12 Filipino nationals, six Vietnamese nationals, and one Mongolian national, all aged between 22 and 48 years," he said.
An additional seven local men were issued notices to present themselves to the department for further investigations.
Checks showed that three suspects used social visit passes, while 12 used domestic helper passes. Another was found to have entered the country with a student pass while the rest had no valid documents.
A total of 13 passports were seized, alongside RM1,500 in cash which was believed to have been profits from "immoral activities".
"The modus operandi of these premises involved using valid licences as beauty centres or spas, displaying signboards and offering beauty treatment services to mislead the authorities. These activities were not openly advertised but were promoted via Telegram and WhatsApp to selected customers only.
"Customers who visited were offered standard massage services, and secret codes were used to obtain additional services.
"The interior of the premises had been renovated and equipped with a tight security system.
"Charges ranged from RM180 to RM250, and the operation is believed to have been active since March last year," he said.
All suspects have been brought to the department's Putrajaya headquarters for further investigation.
