AN Indonesian woman detained in a prostitution raid in Jalan Petaling revealed she repeatedly travelled to Malaysia from her home country to earn extra income, highlighting the financial motivations behind the illicit activities uncovered during a targeted immigration operation.
The woman, in her early 20s and identified only as Lina, was arrested during Op Gegar, conducted on Wednesday by the Malaysian Immigration Department in Kuala Lumpur with the assistance of the Jalan Hang Tuah Fire and Rescue Department. She told reporters, “I work at a motorcycle shop back home (in Indonesia). About once a month I would come here. Each time I stay for around 15 days and then return home. Here I just work as a ‘freelancer’ and enter using a passport.”
Lina, a mother of one, said she learned about the premises through a friend and had been offering immoral services for approximately a year.
Sinar Harian, which was allowed to accompany the authorities, observed attempts by both customers and women to flee during the raid, with some colliding with enforcement officers as they tried to escape.
Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur Immigration director Wan Mohammed Saupee Wan Yusoff said the operation, which began at around 8pm, targeted several two-storey shop lots suspected of being used for prostitution. He confirmed that 19 individuals were detained.
Another Indonesian woman, Reva, also in her 20s, admitted she had travelled to Malaysia to engage in immoral activities to earn money, intending to return home to start a flower arrangement business.
“I came just a few days ago. I knew about this place from a friend who said I could make money here. I want to save enough to open a shop back home,” she said.
Lina further revealed that she had previously worked at the same premises and returned to support her five-year-old child left in her home country.
“I had worked here before, so when I came back, I went straight to the same place. A friend told me it was easy to make money,” she said, describing how she charged around RM240 per client, with up to ten clients a day, both foreign and local.
The raid also uncovered a male foreign national in his 30s who attempted to jump from the second floor of the premises but was swiftly apprehended by officers. He denied engaging with the women, claiming such acts were sinful.
Wan Mohammed Saupee stressed that abuse of the Pre-Arrival Screening (PLS) and repeated illegal entry for immoral work are serious offences.
“Most of the women detained were suspected of entering Malaysia frequently to engage in immoral activities, either full-time or part-time,” he said, underlining the authorities’ focus on tackling cross-border prostitution and exploitation.
The operation highlighted the prevalence of illicit activities in Jalan Petaling, drawing attention to the financial and social pressures driving foreign nationals to repeatedly enter Malaysia for work in the sex industry. - January 22, 2026
