PETALING JAYA: A joint operation between Bukit Aman and the Singapore Police Force led to the arrest of 30 suspects after a crackdown on cross-border crimes.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Commissioner Datuk M. Kumar said the operation, dubbed Op Noda-Cross Border, was conducted on Tuesday (Oct 20) as part of a crackdown on cross-border crime syndicates targeting Singaporean customers.
"The operation, conducted simultaneously at several residential premises around Kuala Lumpur and Johor, also focused on individuals listed as wanted by the Singaporean police," he said.
The initial raid led to the arrest of nine suspects, including one Malaysian and one Singaporean, who all had wanted statuses in Singapore.
Additional checks also showed that the eight foreigners had overstayed in Malaysia.
"In the same operation, the raiding teams also arrested 21 foreign nationals, comprising five men and 16 women aged between 19 and 41, who are suspected of promoting and managing online prostitution services," Kumar said.
"Based on preliminary checks of the seized identification documents, those arrested comprised 17 Chinese nationals, three Vietnamese nationals and one Laotian national.
"Various electronic devices believed to have been used to conduct online prostitution activities were also seized for further investigation," he said.
He added that investigations showed the group had been operating a prostitution ring in Singapore since 2024 and had used Malaysia as a base of operations.
"Malaysia was used as an operational hub to avoid and make it more difficult for local authorities to take preventive action against the syndicate," he said.
Kumar added that police remain committed to combating cross-border prostitution activities, as these crimes have a significant negative impact on economic stability and contribute to social breakdown.
"Accordingly, comprehensive enforcement action against all forms of prostitution activities will continue to be intensified, involving various stakeholders, including local authorities," he said.
