A beauty salon in Kaohsiung that was known to be a brothel in disguise was busted by police on Tuesday evening, and a Taiwanese visitor, a Vietnamese woman and a middleman involved in the sex establishment were arrested for allegedly committing offenses against morality.
Following up on tips from area residents, Kaohsiung police carried out a raid at the establishment in Niaosong district, China Times reported on Wednesday.
The police intercepted a Taiwanese man and a Vietnamese woman as they were leaving the place. The man admitted that he had paid the woman NT$2,000 (US$66) in exchange for sex services.
Another man, who admitted to being a matchmaker for the purposes of prostitution and deriving 10% from each transaction, was arrested onsite.
During the operation, the officers also seized unused condoms, business records and a closed-circuit television system.
A preliminary police investigation suggested that the beauty salon had been featuring Vietnamese prostitutes to attract Southeast Asian men, Taiwan Times reported.
It was not the first time that the salon had engaged in soliciting prostitution. However, since the establishment had stepped up its security measures, a search warrant was required before the police could take action to bust the unit.