NINE people wanted by Singapore police over their alleged involvement in an online prostitution syndicate were arrested during raids in Kuala Lumpur and Johor on Tuesday.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk M Kumar said the suspects, five men and four women aged between 29 and 56, were believed to be part of a syndicate that ran websites offering prostitution services to customers in Singapore, using Malaysia as its operating base.
The arrests were made under Op Noda-Rentas Sempadan, a joint operation by Bukit Aman and the Singapore Police Force (SPF).
Kumar said the suspects comprised one Malaysian and eight foreigners, including seven Chinese nationals and a Singaporean.
Checks found that five of the foreign suspects — four Chinese nationals and the Singaporean — had overstayed in Malaysia, he said in a statement.
The nine will be handed over to the SPF through Bukit Aman’s D12 division, which handles NCB/Interpol matters, after their identities are verified before a magistrate.
Kumar said the syndicate was believed to have been active since 2024 and had based its operations in Malaysia to make it harder for authorities to take action against the group.
Police also arrested 21 other foreigners during the operation, comprising five men and 16 women aged between 19 and 41.
The group consisted of 17 Chinese nationals, three Vietnamese nationals and one Laotian. They are suspected of promoting and managing online prostitution services.
They are being investigated under Section 372(1)(e) of the Penal Code, Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63 and Section 15(1)(c) of the same Act.
Kumar said the operation demonstrated the importance of intelligence-sharing and cooperation between the Royal Malaysia Police and the SPF in tackling cross-border crime. - October 21, 2026