JOHOR BAHRU: Johor police busted a syndicate involved in human trafficking activities for sexual exploitation and rescued 13 foreign women in five raids around the district and Kulai from April 21 to May 1.
Johor police chief Commissioner M Kumar said the victims, aged between 22 and 49, were lured by bogus job offers as factory operators and maids.
“However, upon their arrival in Malaysia, the victims were confined, their passports were taken away, and they were forced to become prostitutes without receiving any payment, as all proceeds were kept by the syndicate members.
“The syndicate is believed to have lured the victims by covering their travel costs to enter Malaysia before taking them to a transit house for sexual exploitation,” he told a press conference here today.
Kumar said the victims were forced to serve up to 35 customers a day, mostly foreigners, with fees ranging from RM100 to RM200 per hour and RM300 for overnight services.
He said during the raids, the police also detained eight individuals consisting of three local men, one local woman, two foreign men, and two foreign women, aged between 24 and 50, suspected to be the syndicate members.
The case was being investigated under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007, Section 12(1)(f) of the Passports Act 1966 and Section 15(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 .
