Police have busted a sex trafficking ring in Sabah following the arrest of eight suspects, with the cops rescuing four girls, including two Form 2 students.
Keningau police chief Yampil Garai said a series of special operations last month found that the syndicate recruited the girls to be prostituted.
The activities came to light after the parents of one of the teen victims lodged a police report on July 24, Harian Metro reported.
“We then rescued eight victims aged 13 to 21, and arrested eight individuals to assist in the investigation,” he said.
Yampil said the syndicate used social media platforms to look for potential customers and would send the victims to selected hotels, charging RM200 per “service”.
The earnings were then divided between the girls and the syndicate members.
He said an 18-year-old girl known as “Elly” has already been charged with trafficking in children for the purpose of exploitation, an offence punishable by three to 20 years in jail and a fine, if convicted.
Yampil added that the victims were sent to Keningau Hospital for checkups.
The two students were placed in a shelter for children in Ampang, Selangor, after the court issued a three-month protection order for them to remain there until Nov 13.
The other two victims have also been placed in a women’s shelter.
