KUALA LUMPUR: Police arrested 41 foreign nationals in raids conducted at three entertainment centres in Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang and a premises in Sri Hartamas here, early this morning.
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the operation that started at 1.30am led to the arrest of 39 Africans and two Pakistanis, aged 25 to 56.
He said all of them are believed to have committed an offence under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act as well as Section 55D, Section 15(1) (c) and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.
"The operation also resulted in the rescue of a 28-year-old Nigerian woman, who is believed to be a victim of sexual exploitation," he said in a statement today.
Mohd Shuhaily said the victim and those arrested under ATIPSOM were taken to the Brickfields district police headquarters for further action while the other detainees were sent to the Dang Wangi IPD.
He said the operations were carried out in collaboration with the National Strategic Office Council for Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants of the Home Ministry and focused on identifying victims of human trafficking based on the National Guideline on Human Trafficking Indicators (NGHTI) 2.0.
Meanwhile, many of the detained foreigners failed to produce passports or valid identification.
Some claimed they had left their passports at their hotels or homes and reacted with hostility when asked to produce their identification.