•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

An island-wide anti-vice operation by the police this week netted a huge prize - the uncovering of a sophisticated online prostitution ring, run out of a rented condominium unit in Singapore.

The vice racket, now smashed, was allegedly run by a 32-year-old Singaporean who used the apartment as a call center, complete with whiteboards showing the schedules of his stable of Thai and Korean sex workers.

His operations also included a network of runners and a team of call operators, said the police in a statement on Thursday.

The man even had a webmaster who allegedly managed four websites, which the police have tracked down. Three of the websites are believed to be hosted on foreign servers, while the remaining one is not in use.

It is understood that the operation is considered more sophisticated than the average vice ring because of the clear segregation of roles within it.

The alleged ringleader was among the 23 men and women arrested in the eight-hour swoop conducted by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Police Intelligence Department.

All suspects are now under investigation.

The raid in areas such as Havelock Road, Beach Road and Jurong West, also led to the seizure of $500, laptops, cellphones, bank books, ATM cards, phone cards, USB flash drives and transaction records.

Of the syndicate members aged 24 to 38 who were nabbed, five were caught in the condominium unit, and the rest in homes and hotels.

Most of the 12 women rounded up were foreign sex workers.

The Straits Times understands that vice rings with websites typically take bookings from prospective clients through SMS.

These clients will get a reply, also via SMS, fixing the day, time, price and type of 'service' to be delivered, depending on which girl was chosen from the website's gallery of photos.

Each photo comes with the girl's vital statistics, the services she provides and whether or not she can stay the night.

The meeting typically takes place in a hotel or in someone's home, where the woman is paid before the services are rendered.

The rate this syndicate charged was between 160 Singapore dollars (US$123) and 260 Singapore dollars per "transaction."

Escort agencies The Straits Times spoke to said that there is no 'typical' client who goes for such services provided by foreign workers.

They said clients could be just about any man who knows how to use the Internet, which includes anyone from blue-collar workers to professionals, and married and single men.

The director of CID, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Hoong Wee Teck, said Wednesday's operation was part of ongoing efforts to clamp down on vice activities in Singapore - whether they are solicited online or offline on the main street.

"Those who think they can get away with such illicit activities under the guise of the Internet are mistaken," he said.

Similar raids by the police earlier this year smashed two other online vice syndicates. Ten suspects, including women, were arrested.

In the first case, officers from the Central Police Division raided a hotel located in Lavender Street on Jan 24, leading to the arrests of two men and three women, aged between 19 and 29.

Cash amounting to more than 1,000 Singapore dollars and items such as cellphones, a camera and notebooks indicating the transaction records were seized at the time.

Less than a month later, on Feb 8, the police busted another online syndicate.

Four suspects were picked up at a hotel in Belilios Road in Little India and a fifth was arrested in Yishun. They included two men and three women aged between 23 and 30.

Investigations later revealed that the syndicate was believed to have advertised sexual services via an Internet website where potential customers could book their services.

Cash amounting to about 2,000 Singapore dollars, condoms, notebooks and other related items such as cellphones and a laptop were also seized.

Last year, more than 7,000 foreign women were arrested in Singapore on suspicion of engaging in vice-related activities, including soliciting for sex.

This was lower than the 7,614 arrests made two years ago, but still a huge jump from just over 5,000 arrests in 2008.

In June this year, 20 Vietnamese women - some of whom were found having sex with customers - were arrested during a vice raid at a KTV pub in Joo Chiat.

More recently, two women from China were arrested in a Bukit Timah Shopping Centre beauty salon for suspected vice activities earlier this month.

One of them was caught in bed with a man, while the other was in the same room, clad only in her undergarments.

Anyone who contravenes the offenses under the provisions of the Women's Charter is liable upon conviction to a fine of up to 10,000 Singapore dollars, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

Any male person convicted again under this provision shall, in addition to any jail term imposed, also be caned.

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 021 2553 5055.