POLICE arrested 27 foreign nationals for vice and immigration offences in a three-hour overnight raid in the forested area off Bukit Batok Road. The operation, from 10 pm on Wednesday to 1 am on Thursday, was carried out by officers from the Criminal Investigation Department and Jurong Police Division. Police said although the forested area was the size of about four football fields, the well-planned raid caught the perpetrators by surprise and all 27 were arrested in one fell swoop. They were of various nationalities between the ages of 22 and 51. Six of those arrested were women. Investigations are on-going. Commander of Jurong Police Division Deputy Assistant Commissioner Cheang Keng Keong attributed the success of the opation to good intelligence and planning. He warned that police will not hesitate to take action against such illegal activities and added that "enforcement action will also be taken against syndicates who harbour or engage offenders involved in vice activities".
