KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 16 —The Immigration Department uncovered a prostitution syndicate operating out of a car wash premises in Kepong during a raid on Thursday.

Its director Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said 16 foreign women comprising 13 Vietnamese and three Thai nationals aged between 22 to 35 were detained, while seven local men, consisting of customers and carwash workers, were served with notices to record their statements.

He said investigations revealed that there where were two double-storey shoplots next to each other, where one displayed a carwash signboard to distract the authorities, while the other was only opened slightly for regular customers to avail sex services from 4 pm to midnight.

"From the surveillance carried out, the said premises appeared to have poor business and looked unfrequented, however upon entering the building, it was discovered there were many entertainment options on offer with escorts (GRO).

"The modus operandi of the syndicate was to use the Whatsapp or Telegram chat applications to fish for customers at the said premises,” he said in a statement today.

He said all the foreign citizens detained either did not possess identification papers, had overstayed or were in violation of the Immigration Act, and would be held at Semenyih Immigration Detention Centre in Selangor, for further investigation. — Bernama