6 women arrested after police raided TCM parlours in Little India suspected of providing sexual services

Ronald Loh
The New Paper
Apr 27, 2017

Six women were arrested yesterday afternoon when police raided two traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and two spa establishments as part of an enforcement operation.

Police officers raided the four shops, in the Little India area. They were suspected to be providing sexual services, charging up to $200.

The women, aged between 29 and 50, believed to be from China and Vietnam, were arrested under the Women's Charter, and the parlour operators will face further action.

During yesterday's operation, which The New Paper witnessed, officers first raided the two TCM establishments, located near each other on Rangoon Road, within an hour.

When TNP arrived at the first shop, two female employees, one of whom was later arrested, were sitting beside a massage bed.

Officers searched the place, finding a packet of condoms, while others went through the establishment's log books.

It was a similar scene at the second parlour, believed to have been opened about two to three months ago. Two more women were arrested there.

The licensed TCM practitioners were not present in both shops at the time of the raid.

A resident, who wanted to be known only as Ben, 29, who works in IT, said he had suspected the second parlour of conducting illicit activities.

"It did bother me... but not all parlours are dodgy," he said, referring to another parlour across the street that he said had been in business for at least 1½ years without any trouble.

Officers later raided two unlicensed massage parlours disguised as spas near Race Course Road, and arrested three more women. All of the women, heads bowed, were led into a police van and taken away.

Officers also conducted another enforcement blitz in the Bukit Batok area last night, as part of their continual efforts to weed out these illegal activities.

Earlier this month, a joint enforcement operation targeting public entertainment outlets, massage establishments and drink driving saw 132 arrests.

In November, police nabbed 81 women in raids on massage establishments and public entertainment outlets at the Thomson, Paya Lebar, Selegie, Outram and Bukit Timah areas.

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