Malaysian authorities arrested five local people and 26 foreign women during raids on multiple locations in Perak during a large-scale crackdown in the early hours of Monday for alleged involvement in illicit sex work.
Four “suspicious” premises were targeted by raids undertaken by immigration officials between 12.30am and 2am on Monday October 8 as part of the”Ops Mega 3.0″ crackdown.
The four locations were a Chinese restaurant, a KTV entertainment center and massage parlors in Sitiawan and Manjung. A total of 66 people had their identification documents checked, the Sin Chew Daily (Malaysia) reported.
Two local Chinese men and 11 Vietnamese women aged from 15 to 42 were arrested at the two-story Chinese restaurant in a palm oil estate in Sitiawan. Around 20 male customers were identified and many used condoms were found.
Preliminary inquiries found that the ground floor of the building was running as a normal Chinese seafood restaurant, while the upper floor was used for vice activities.
There were 15 karaoke-TV lounges and each charged 300 ringgit (US$72) for 12 bottles of beer and service by the Vietnamese women. Sex services were available on demand if customers paid extra.
Meanwhile, officers arrested another 11 Vietnamese women and a local woman in the KTV entertainment center along with two local men and another Vietnamese woman in the massage parlor in downtown Sitiawan.
At the same time, three Vietnamese women were arrested at the massage parlor in Manjung.
All those arrested were detained for further inquiries under the immigration act, including Section 56(1)(d) – harboring illegal immigrants, Section 15(1)(c) – overstaying, and Section 39(b) – working or undertaking activities that are contrary to conditions stipulated in the pass or permit.