Kuala lumpur: The Kuala Lumpur Immigration Department (JIM) rescued 14 foreign women who were believed to be victims of sexual exploitation in a raid on a prostitution premises in Jalan Petaling, here yesterday. JIM Kuala Lumpur director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff said Op Pantas (ATIP) raid at about 1.15 pm was carried out based on intelligence information, with initial investigations using the National Guideline on Human Trafficking Indicators (NGHTI 2.0).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, all the rescued victims were aged between 18 and 36 years old, consisting of 10 Bangladeshi women, three Indians, and one Indonesian. It is understood that a victim claimed to have been ‘sold’ by her boyfriend after they broke up, before being exploited for prostitution activities at the premises involved. During the raid, several customers attempted to escape as soon as they noticed the presence of the operation personnel.

Wan Mohammed Saupee stated that the premises were believed to operate from 10 am to 11 pm and accepted walk-in customers. Three local men, believed to be the premises’ caretakers, were detained to assist in the investigation under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007. Also detained were 16 male customers who were in the premises during the raid, consisting of nine Nepalese, two Bangladeshis, and five Myanmar nationals. Each customer is believed to have been charged around RM60 for prostitution services offered.