Immigration busts alleged foreign‑run prostitution ring in KL

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 20 — The Immigration Department has dismantled a prostitution ring allegedly run by a foreign couple in Kuala Lumpur, according to Immigration Director-General Datuk Zakaria Shaaban. The operation took place on Tuesday night, following tip-offs and intelligence gathering over the past two weeks. The syndicate, believed to have been active for two months, involved a Bangladeshi and Thai couple, a local man acting as caretaker, and 23 other foreigners.

The detainees included three Myanmar men, three Bangladeshi women, 14 Indonesian women, two Vietnamese women, and a Myanmar woman, aged between 18 and 35. None of the foreigners had valid travel documents or permits to stay in the country. Authorities seized passports, a mobile phone, condoms, and RM1,215 in cash, believed to have been earned from the syndicate's activities.

The group allegedly used residential and commercial premises to conduct illicit activities, with customers primarily being Bangladeshi nationals in the Klang Valley. The foreign couple and the local man were detained under Section 56(1)(d) of the Immigration Act, while the others were detained for offenses under Section 6(1)(c).

Seven local men were given notices to report to the Immigration Department to aid the investigation.