Male patrons unfazed as officers nab 33 women in Geylang raid

Men and women at a coffee shop in Geylang were questioned by police officers who surrounded them and prevented them from leaving during an anti-vice operation.

But while most of the women tried to hide their faces from members of the media at the scene, many of the men carried on eating and drinking.

A total of 33 women were nabbed for offences under the Women’s Charter during the operation on Oct 7, after the police received a tip-off about women soliciting at the coffee shop on the corner of Geylang Lorong 29.

Dozens of officers swooped in on the area, surrounding the coffee shop at around 9.30pm.

The media arrived at around 9.40pm to witness the operation.

Many of the women, who hold passports from China and Vietnam, tried to cover their faces with their hands.

When questioned by officers, some appeared uncooperative, gesturing that they did not know anything or claiming that they did not know what was going on.

Others were reluctant to unlock their mobile phones that were seized by the police.

A female officer told them that the longer they took to cooperate, the longer they would have to spend sitting at the coffee shop in full view of the public.

The officers were also seen checking the women’s hair for anything that might be hidden in it.

Unlike the women who appeared to be in shock, the men who were questioned continued eating and drinking in the midst of the operation.

At one table, a woman who was later arrested tightly clutched the arm of a man as police questioned her.

The man, however, appeared unfazed and even smiled as he continued his meal with his friends.

He later shrugged off the woman’s arms and told her to relax before she was taken away by the police.

At another table, while being questioned by the police, a man gave the thumbs-up and made a toast with his friends when he saw the members of the media and their cameras.

In contrast, the women at the table next to the men’s sat motionless with sullen looks on their faces.

The 33 women, aged 21 to 54, were later led away in batches by the police and arrested for managing a place of assignation and working without valid work passes.

Under the Women’s Charter, anyone who manages or assists in the management of a place of assignation may be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $100,000.

Anyone who works without a valid work pass may be jailed for up to two years and fined up to $20,000.

The operation also uncovered illegal gambling activities at the premises.

Three people, aged 31 to 59, are being investigated for conducting unlawful lotteries, and more than $140 in cash and stacks of betting slips were seized from the trio.

Those convicted of being involved in unlawful lotteries can be jailed for up to seven years and fined up to $500,000.

A 66-year-old man, who is the liquor licensee of the coffee shop, was found to have supplied liquor outside of the licensed premises, which is an offence with a fine of up to $10,000.

The police said investigations against the 37 people are ongoing.

The multi-agency operation involved officers from the police, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, and Ministry of Manpower.

Superintendent Lim Hao Jun, who heads the Criminal Investigation Department’s Specialised Crime Branch, said: “The police will continue to work with other government agencies to clamp down on unlawful activities in the area. Offenders will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law.”