THE Immigration Department has successfully dismantled a prostitution syndicate that operated through social media, charging fees ranging from RM200 to RM1,000, according to Jafri Embok Taha, the deputy DG (operations).

In a series of raids conducted at five different locations, including two prostitution premises and three KTV entertainment centers, 131 foreigners and 10 local citizens suspected to be caretakers of the premises were detained.

The suspects, aged between 18 and 36, include 52 women from China, 41 women from Vietnam, 21 women from Thailand, two women from Indonesia, a woman from Laos, eight men from Bangladesh, four men from Myanmar, a Bangladeshi man, and a stateless man, as revealed in a press conference in Ipoh today.

Jafri said that 32 of the Chinese women, 15 Vietnamese women, eight Thai women, two Indonesian women, and one Myanmar man were found to possess valid social visit passes, special passes, temporary employment passes, and employment passes.

However, the rest were discovered to lack any valid travel documents.

The team of immigration officers seized condoms, premises documents and keys, passports, RM14,155 cash, 12 mobile phones, towels and CCTVs. – Bernama, January 13, 2024.