Kuala lumpur: The Immigration Department (JIM) uncovered immoral activities disguised as beauty and spa services at four locations in Kuala Lumpur and Puchong, leading to the arrest of 19 foreign women on Jan 27.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the director-general of JIM, Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, revealed that these establishments operated under legitimate beauty and spa centre licenses. The businesses used signs and offered treatments that masked their true nature, aiming to deceive the authorities.

He stated that the illegal services were not advertised openly but were promoted through messaging platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp to a select group of customers. Regular massage services were on offer, while secret codes provided access to additional services. The premises had been modified and equipped with tight security systems to avoid detection.

The charges for these services ranged from RM180 to RM250, and investigations suggest the operation has been ongoing since March of the previous year. Those apprehended in the operation included 12 Filipinas, six Vietnamese, and one Mongolian, aged between 22 and 48.

Initial checks revealed that three of the Vietnamese women possessed social visit passes (PLS), the Mongolian woman held a student pass, and the Filipinas had domestic helper passes. Others lacked valid travel documents or passes to remain in the country.

During the raid, JIM seized nine Filipino passports, three Vietnamese passports, a Mongolian passport, five mobile phones, a QR payment scanner, employee records, transaction books, business licenses, Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) documents, and RM1,500 in cash. Zakaria added that those detained were believed to have violated the Immigration Act 1959/63 and were taken to the Putrajaya Immigration Office for further action. Furthermore, seven local men were issued notices to assist with the ongoing investigation.