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THE hopes of seven Indian women to earn a living in this country turned into suffering when they were not only forced to become sex workers but were also beaten and threatened if they refused to follow the syndicate's orders.
The victims, aged between 25 and 40, were initially promised jobs as housemaids, but upon arriving in this country they were locked up and forced to serve customers at a hotel on Jalan Ampang.
All of them were later rescued through Op Pintas (Sexual Exploitation) conducted by the D3 Anti-Human Trafficking and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Division, Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department (JSJ) on September 30 at around 1am.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk M Kumar said initial investigations found that all the victims were tightly controlled by syndicate members and were not allowed to leave the premises where they were confined.
"The victims were not only exploited for sexual purposes, but some were even beaten and threatened if they refused to comply with the syndicate's orders.
"They were constantly monitored to prevent them from escaping," he said as reported by Sinar Harian.
Kumar said that in the raid, police also arrested 12 individuals believed to be members of the syndicate, consisting of two local men aged 34 and 63, as well as six men and four Indian women aged between 21 and 58.
"All these suspects are believed to be involved in recruiting, controlling and managing the prostitution activities of the victims who were deceived.
"Further investigations also found that one of the suspects was a policeman who was suspected of being directly involved," he said.
According to him, after the investigation was complete, the investigation paper was referred to the Attorney General's Chambers on October 16.
"Five individuals, including the policeman, have been charged under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM 2007).
"In addition, five other foreigners have also been charged under Section 6(1)(C) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for not possessing valid travel documents," he said.
He said all those arrested were charged at the Criminal Sessions Court 9, Jalan Duta Court Complex, Kuala Lumpur on Friday.
"PDRM will not compromise with any individual, including law enforcement officers, who are abettors in this heinous crime.
"Strict action will be taken regardless of rank," he said.
The public is urged to channel information regarding human trafficking or sexual exploitation activities to the police to assist in the investigation.
"Public cooperation is very important to ensure that victims who are still trapped in syndicates like this can be rescued immediately.
"The crime of human trafficking is now becoming more rampant where syndicates use various tricks including offering well-paid jobs to deceive victims before being forced to become sex workers," he said.
He added that the success of this operation not only saved victims from further exploitation, but also uncovered a network of syndicates believed to be operating in an organised manner around the capital.
"PDRM will continue to intensify Op Pintas nationwide to crack down on groups that traffic in humans for illegal profit," he said. – October 18, 2025
