SIBU: Police here Thursday detained a 46-year-old man, the manager of a massage parlour along Ramin Road for alleged human trafficking involving four female workers from the Philippines.
He will be investigated under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (ATIPSOM) Act 2007, said Sibu District Police chief, ACP Saiful Bahri.
Saiful added that the suspect will be remanded until 1st August 2017 to enable the investigation to proceed smoothly.
Earlier, according to Saiful, at around 11am on Thursday, at one of the hotels, a female complainant, 35, a Philippine national and also a Philippine Embassy official was conducting a programme to assist Filipino workers serving in Sibu. She was then approached by four Filipinas aged between 25 and 33 who were working as masseuses at Ramin Road.
“After being interviewed, the complainant found that the four victims might have been victims of human trafficking.
“Police reports were made after being directed by the Philippine Embassy,” Saiful said when contacted by reporters here.
He added that the initial interview results revealed to the complainant that the four victims were asked by the employer (suspect) to give a special service (sex service) to the customers whereas the original offer was as masseuses.
He said all the victims had no injuries and were never beaten by employers.The victims were sent to Sibu Hospital for further health check and treatment if any.
