Published on: Thursday, December 14, 2006 |
Kota Kinabalu: A Chinese national's dream of earning a decent living by working in a restaurant here was not to be as she was forced into the flesh trade, instead.
The 26-year-old (pic) claimed she was tricked into believing she could earn about RM2,000 a month working in an eatery here by a so-called agent back in her hometown in China.
The woman, who was forced to sell her body since flying into the city on Nov. 20, only managed to escape from the grips of her pimp, also believed to be a Chinese national, recently.
She said the pimp allowed her to go shopping on Monday without any fear that she might flee since her passport was in his possession. She seized the opportunity to seek help from a friend.
She ended up in the city police headquarters in Karamunsing moments later after the friend sent a Service Messaging Service (SMS) text to the City Police Chief, ACP Ku Chin Wah's personal number, which had been much publicised in the local newspapers.
Ku said police immediately contacted the woman through the number on the SMS after receiving the text.
She told police that on the day she arrived, a Chinese man, in his 30s, picked her up from the airport and brought her to a house about 20 minutes away, which she did not know then was in Penampang.
The woman claimed she was forced to work from 1pm to 2am daily and most of the earnings were taken by the pimp while the rest were used to pay for the house rent and daily expenses.
The woman also claimed there were two other Chinese women locked up in the house.
Based on information, police laid an ambush for the pimp after locating the house described by the woman, Ku said.
However, the suspect never turned up and later they found the house empty.
"The suspect might have bolted É we believe a syndicate is involved in this since there is an agent trying to convince women in China to come here," he said.
He said since the house fell under the jurisdiction of the Penampang police, the city police handed over investigations to their counterparts.
Meanwhile, Penampang Police Chief, DSP Mohd Azhar Hamin said the woman is under police supervision at the moment and has been housed at a safe place.
They are investigating the matter and will soon refer the woman to the Immigration Department so she could return to her homeland.
In another development, a group of nightclub bouncers who had just completed their shifts were involved in a fight at Kg Air, here on Tuesday.
Several of them sustained minor injuries and one had to receive stitches, it was learnt.
Ku said police found a baseball bat believed used in the fight, adding six men were detained to facilitate further investigations.
