KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 7 — The Immigration Department (JIM) detained 27 foreign women believed to be working as guest relations officers (GROs), following a raid at an entertainment outlet in Jalan Kuchai Lama, near here, yesterday.
Immigration director-general Datuk Khairul Dzaimee Daud said the women from Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Philippines were arrested at 8 pm and had entered the country using social visit passes before the travel restrictions were imposed in March.
He said preliminary investigations found that all the women worked as GROs and were paid between RM500 and RM2,000 a day.
“These women could not show proof that they have registered online to return to their country of origin and had misused their social passes and temporary employment passes for illegal activities.
“Some even hold foreign spouse visa but work as GROs instead,” he said in a statement here today.
Khairul Dzaimee said checks on the premises found that it only had a restaurant and eatery licence, not entertainment or night club licence.
The department also nabbed two locals including a woman who is believed to be the cashier and ‘mummy’ in charge of the GROs, he added.
“The outlet, in following the trend also provides token stickers for the women to get tips from customers and price of the tokens ranges from RM100 to RM1,000,” he said.
Khairul Dzaimee said the outlet, well-guarded by ‘tontos’, was packed with customers and many were found to have violated the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) standard operating procedures.
He said those detained have been sent to Putrajaya Immigration Depot for further investigation.
The case is being investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007 (ATIPSOM), Immigration Act 1959/63, Passport Act 1966, and Immigration Rules 1963.
