KOTA KINABALU: Five teenagers have been arrested at a hotel in Lahad Datu district on suspicion of soliciting for prostitution.
The 18-year-olds, three boys and two girls, were detained under Ops Noda at around 9.30pm on Sunday (Aug 24), district police said.
They said in a statement on Monday (Aug 25) that the suspects are believed to have been active since May and used a messaging platform to make arrangements with clients, charging between RM150 and RM300 per session.
Police also seized smartphones, condoms, hotel receipts and keys.
This case is being investigated under Sections 372A (living on or trading in prostitution) and 372B (soliciting for prostitution) of the Penal Code, as well as the Immigration Act 1959/63.
The Penal Code offences carry penalties of up to 15 years’ jail, fines, or caning upon conviction.
Offenders under the Immigration Act, meanwhile, face up to five years’ jail and a maximum of six strokes of the cane, or a fine of up to RM10,000, if found guilty.
In an unrelated case, district police said a 20-year-old man was arrested on Saturday for committing sexual acts on a 16-year-old student in a house.
The suspect was arrested at around 1.15am in the compound of the district police station and will be investigated under the Sexual Offences Against Children Act 2017, they added.
If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to 20 years with caning.
