ACP Saiful Bahri
SIBU: The police have applied for a protection order from the court to enable ten rescued Filipinas to be handed over to the Welfare Department for shelter during the investigation.
Sibu police chief ACP Saiful Bahri said yesterday that the women aged between 22 and 30 had arrived here with permits to work as entertainers but are believed to have been instead forced into prostitution.
He said the police successfully rescued them on Sunday when a team led by Insp Hairul Hussin stormed a premises at Hardin Walk.
Police also arrested the 54-year-old owner of the premises.
“From our probe, each of these women has a one-year work permit but the people who controlled them misused their work permits by sending them to ‘work’ in entertainment outlets as prostitutes,” he said.
The police chief did not comment further as to whether this was a case of human trafficking, as they are still investigating.
He stressed the police are treating the case seriously and would leave no stone unturned in the probe.