KUALA TERENGGANU: Seventeen Thai women were arrested in Ops Gegar carried out by the Malaysian Immigration Department (JIM) yesterday.

Terengganu JIM deputy director (Control) Mat Amin Hassan said the women, aged between 19 and 33, were arrested at a restaurant believed to operate as an entertainment centre in Kuala Terengganu.

He said the operation was conducted following public complaints.

A total of 52 individuals, including customers, were rounded up during the operation.

“Some of the foreign women attempted to escape through the back door, but failed to do so because the enforcement officers had surrounded the premises,“ he said in a statement today.

He said the 17 Thai women were arrested as they did not possess valid travel documents. They had been sent to the Ajil Immigration Depot for further action.