1 woman and 3 men convicted for operating unlicensed massage parlours

Four people were convicted for operating unlicensed massage establishments in July.

A woman, Wang Dajiao, was convicted in court on July 10, for an offence under Section 5(1) and punishable under Section 5(4)(a) of the new Massage Establishments Act 2017 (MEA) and fined $7,000.

She was caught operating a massage establishment without a valid licence at Yi Shui Fang Massage along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 1 on Mar 6. 

She is also the first person to be convicted for the offence under the new MEA, which carries enhanced penalties since it came into effect on Mar 1.

Three other people, Muhd Khaled Bin Abdul Rahim, Low Boon Hoe, and He Yue, who had separately operated a massage establishment without a licence, were similarly convicted on July 13 for the same offence and fined between $3,000 and $8,500.

First-time offenders can be fined up to $10,000, or face imprisonment not exceeding two years, or both.

The maximum penalties for subsequent convictions can be a fine of up to $20,000, or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.