10 underage foreign girls rescued from massage centre

10 underage foreign girls rescued from massage centre

KUALA LUMPUR: Ten underage foreign girls, believed to be victims of sexual exploitation, were rescued by immigration officers during a raid on a spa and massage centre in Johor Bahru yesterday.

Immigration director-general Zakaria Shaaban said preliminary investigations showed that the victims, six from Vietnam and four from Indonesia, had been deceived with false job offers. They had been denied wages, had their movements restricted and their passports withheld.

All 10 have been placed in a shelter while investigations are carried out.

Checks on the premises led to the arrest of 37 Vietnamese women and 16 Indonesian women, aged between 18 and 40, on suspicion of prostitution.

“Initial findings showed their services were offered to selected clients through WeChat and WhatsApp, with rates ranging from RM200 to RM300 per hour,” Zakaria said.

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He added that 11 male cleaners, from Indonesia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh, were also arrested, along with seven Malaysian men suspected of being the owners of the premises and “captains” or handlers of the foreign women.

A total of RM128,464 in cash, believed to be proceeds from the illicit activities, was also seized.

“At the time of the 3.15pm raid, several women were found attending to customers, who included foreign tourists, while others were hiding in a concealed room to evade detection,” he said.

Zakaria added that the foreign nationals were taken to immigration detention centres for further investigation.