Woman held in connection with RM13.5 mln find
KOTA KINABALU: A local woman has been detained by the Immigration Department over her alleged connection with the discovery of RM13.5 million cash during an anti-vice raid at the spa of a hotel here last week.
Its director-general, Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali, said, immigration officers uncovered about RM1.1 million in cash from the 46-yearold woman’s apartment here when she was arrested around noon yesterday.
This brings the total number of arrests to four, including two local men and a foreign man, in their 30s and 50s, and the discovery of RM11 million cash in an anti-vice raid on Nov 24.
Seventeen people, aged between 20 and 40 years old, comprising Filipinas and China nationals believed to be victims of a human trafficking syndicate, were saved by immigration officers during the 1am ‘Ops Cegar’ operation.
According to Mustafar, the woman is beleved to be the wife of one of the three men.
“We are still investigating to establish who is the real owner of all the money, how they acquired such huge amount of cash and what is the purpose of all that cash for,” he said at a press conference at the Sabah Immigration Department office here yesterday.
Mustafar said, the cash, totaling RM13,563,227.60 were found inside drawers, on the beds and in boxes in a room at the spa while RM1.1 million cash was found in the woman’s apartment.
We are still investigating to establish who is the real owner of all the money, how they acquired such huge amount of cash and what is the purpose of all that cash for. Datuk Seri Mustafar Ali, Immigration Department director-general
“Investigation also revealed that the spa had been operating at the hotel since 1999. We also found condoms, lubricants and other elements related to sex activities at the spa when my men conducted the raid,” he said.
Mustafar added that the 17 women, who were found and rescued by immigration officers, had claimed that they had been exploited and forced into prostitution, while checks on the spa revealed that modifications had been made ostensibly for vice activity purposes.
The department will investigate the case from various angles, including human trafficking, money laundering, prostitution and overstaying.
He said, the department will also work closely with other agencies to look into matter like the modification of the building without approval; with the Inland Revenue Board for possible tax evasion; and the Companies Commission of Malaysia on details of the spa centre.