KUALA LUMPUR: Fifty-two people, including dozens of guest relations officers (GROs), were detained during a joint raid on an illegal karaoke outlet operating from the basement car park of a luxury residential complex here.
The raid, codenamed Ops Gegar, was carried out at about 1am yesterday by the Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department with the assistance of Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).
Kuala Lumpur Immigration director Hamsha Injau said the outlet had gone to great lengths to avoid detection by installing three heavy security doors and CCTV cameras at every entrance.
Inspections found that the outlet in Taman Leng Seng, Cheras, had more than 10 karaoke rooms and several rear exits believed to have been used as escape routes during enforcement raids.
Initial investigations revealed that customers were charged up to RM1,300 for a six-hour entertainment package, which included the use of a karaoke room, alcoholic beverages and the services of female GROs, Hamsha said.
A total of 52 individuals were detained, including four Malay-sians comprising three men believed to be caretakers and managers of the premises, and a woman suspected of managing the GROs.
Also detained were 33 Vietnamese women and one Thai woman believed to have been working as GROs.
Fifteen male foreign workers, comprising 10 Bangladeshis, four Myanmar nationals and one Chinese national, were also detained.
In addition, witness summonses were issued to 19 Malaysian patrons there.
All those detained were taken to the Bukit Jalil Immigration Depot for documentation and further investigations.
In a separate operation, six women and two men were detained after the department uncovered an alleged prostitution syndicate operating out of a three-star hotel in Jalan Cheras.
The operation, conducted at about 1.05am by the Immigration Department, followed intelligence gathering and surveillance.
Hamsha said enforcement officers found several foreign women entertaining customers in designated hotel rooms.
The detained women comprised five Indone-sians and one Thai national.
Two local men, believed to be the syndicate’s coordinator, and a Nepalese national employed by the hotel were also detained.
