KUALA LUMPUR: Twenty-six people, mostly foreigners, were detained following a special operation targeting suspected vice activities on Jalan Kuchai Lama and Jalan Gelugor here.
The operation, conducted on Aug 18, began at 10.50pm and involved officers from the Immigration Department's Intelligence and Special Operations Division.
Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban said the operation was conducted following two weeks of public information and intelligence gathering.
He said those detained comprised a Bangladeshi man and a Thai woman, believed to be the masterminds behind the operation, as well as a local man suspected of acting as a premises caretaker.
Also detained were three Myanmar men, three Bangladeshi women, 14 Indonesian women, two Vietnamese women and a Myanmar woman.
"All those detained were aged between 18 and 35," he said in a statement on Thursday (Aug 20).
Initial checks found that all the foreign nationals detained did not have valid travel documents or passes to remain in Malaysia, he said.
"We also seized four Bangladeshi passports, one Thai passport and one Indonesian passport, as well as mobile phones, condoms and RM1,215 in cash believed to be proceeds from the activities," he added.
The premises were allegedly used to conduct vice activities involving foreign women as sex workers, Zakaria said.
"The residential premises were promoted to customers, particularly Bangladeshis in the Klang Valley, through social media platforms.
"The Thai woman, believed to be the main mastermind, allegedly controlled the movements of the workers by keeping their passports, while activities at the residential premises were carried out discreetly to avoid detection," he said.
A local man was allegedly responsible for controlling and guarding the business premises, where he acted as a "captain".
"Customers were charged RM200 for 60 minutes at the residential premises, while services at the business premises cost between RM260 and RM400 for 90 minutes.
"The activities are believed to have been operating for about two months," he said.
The Bangladeshi man, Thai woman and local man were detained for suspected offences under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1959/63, while the other foreign nationals were detained under Section 6(1)(c) of the same Act.
All those detained were taken to the Immigration Department office for further action.
"Seven local men were also issued notices to appear at the department to assist investigations.
"We will continue taking firm action against activities that violate Malaysian laws to safeguard the country's peace, stability and prosperity," he said.
