Entertainment centre offering GROs at RM300 hourly raided, 37 foreigners arrested

New Straits Times

3 days ago

BUTTERWORTH: Operating on the seventh floor of a building in Jalan Bagan Luar, an entertainment centre allegedly offered what was advertised as an "exclusive package" where customers paid up to RM300 per hour to select guest relation officers (GROs) based on their body numbers.
The centre's operations were uncovered during a raid by the Immigration Department early this morning, which led to the arrest of 37 foreigners, 35 of whom were suspected of working as GROs.
Immigration Department Enforcement Division director Basri Othman said the 1am raid encountered obstacles when the premises' management detected the presence of the operation team and locked all entry points, including lifts and stairwell doors.
He said the raiding party had to break through several metal doors to gain access.
"After gaining entry, we inspected 110 people and detained 37 foreigners, aged between 23 and 45, including 35, believed to be working as GROs.
"They included 19 Vietnamese women, 14 Thai women, two Chinese men and one woman each from China and Laos," he told reporters at the raid site.
Basri said that during the inspection of karaoke rooms, several women were found hiding in secret compartments, such as behind sofas, inside speaker boxes and in toilets.
"Our checks found that all the detained women were wearing body numbers, and it is believed that customers would select them based on these numbers.
"They were paid between RM250 and RM300 per hour, and the money was placed in envelopes marked with the corresponding body numbers, believed to be payment for their services," he added.
The entertainment centre is believed to have been operating for about a year and was popular among both local and foreign customers.
Basri said most of those detained were found to have violated Regulation 39(b) of the Immigration Regulations 1963, while several others had overstayed their visas.
All detainees were taken to the Seberang Jaya Immigration Office for further investigation before being placed at the Jawi Immigration Depot.