JOHOR BARU: Four women who were trafficked from India and forced into prostitution have been rescued following a raid on an apartment in Larkin Idaman here yesterday.
The victims, aged between 24 and 39, had been held captive in the apartment and sexually exploited by two suspects.
The duo, a local man and a woman from India were arrested during the raid by detectives from Johor police's Anti-Vice, Gambling and Secret Societies Division.
The man, 32, is believed to have been in charge of transport, while the woman is understood to have been in charge of the girls.
It could not be confirmed if the male suspect, who tested positive for methamphetamine, was tasked with bringing clients to the apartment or sending the girls to the clients.
Johor police chief Commissioner M Kumar said preliminary investigations revealed that the victims were promised jobs either in the IT sector or as cleaners when they entered the country.
They were offered monthly salaries of 40,000 rupees (RM2,300) but upon arrival, were brought to the apartment and held captive.
The women were then prostituted.
Kumar said both suspects were being remanded for seven days, while the victims were granted a 21-day temporary protection order.
The case is being probed under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrant (Atipsom) Act 2007 for trafficking.
The suspects could also face action under Section 55E of the Immigration Act 1959/63 for housing illegal migrants, and Section 6(1)(c) of the same act for staying in the country without valid documentation.
The police are also investigating if the victims and the foreign suspect entered the country legally.
Earlier, a Tamil news portal uploaded a video claiming that four Indian women were kidnapped from the country and forced into prostitution in Malaysia.
The footage included a voice recording, purportedly that of a Tamil-speaking victim pleading to be rescued. The video was later deleted.
