PUTRAJAYA: A Penang-based prostitution syndicate, which included Uzbek women as among its ‘offerings’, was smashed by the Immigration Department in an operation in George Town last night.
The raid by the Penang Immigration Department and the Putrajaya enforcement division, was carried out at a service apartment in the state capital.
Immigration director-general Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali said the 1am raid led to the detention of 19 women, aged between 17 and 38.
“Sixteen women were from Uzbekistan, one from Indonesia and two from Vietnam,” he said in a statement today.
The serviced apartment in George Town was home to the syndicate’s vice activities due to tight security. It is understood that only those with clearance were allowed to enter.
Mustafar said the syndicate is believed to have been active for about two months, offering sex services via the WeChat app.
Clients paid between RM240 and RM350 per session, either via walk-in and outcalls at hotels chosen by the clients, he added.
Initial investigations suggest that the women were brought into Malaysia using social visit passes. Some of them do not have travel documents.
The department believes that the syndicate forms part of an international ring. The authorities also believe that the arrests could lead to the discovery of other syndicates.
Three Malaysian men, suspected of being pimps, were arrested. Also seized were RM12,629 in cash and two vehicles - a Mercedes-Benz and a Proton Exora.
Those arrested are being investigated under the Immigration Act 1059/63 (Amendment 2002) and the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act (Amendment 2010).