4 Women Arrested in Yishun for Allegedly Offering Illegal Services Disguised as Massages

Nestled in a densely-populated area in Yishun, lay two unassuming massage parlours where some employees were allegedly providing sexual services to customers.

During an operation that took place on June 30, officers from the Woodlands Police Division raided the two establishments simultaneously.

AsiaOne was among the media invited to visit the scenes where three women aged between 23 and 35 were arrested for allegedly providing sexual services under the guise of massages.

One of them was a Singapore Permanent Resident while the remaining two were foreigners.

The two massage parlours were located on the first floor of an HDB block, surrounded by a dental clinic, a musical enrichment centre for children, a traditional Chinese medicine clinic as well as two minimarts and a coffeeshop.

Upon entering the first parlour, two massage beds — separated by a blind — and three couches can be seen in the reception area.

Two female employees were seated on one of the beds. While they looked down and avoided eye contact with members of the media, the pair did not attempt to cover their faces.

Another employee was seated on the couch furthest from the entrance, waiting to have her statement taken, while a fourth woman was standing at the back of the establishment with an officer.

A total of five female employees were observed in the parlour at the time of the raid.

A few steps further into the unit revealed three private rooms separated by blinds, each with one massage bed and a rack of various massage oils.

Two men, purportedly customers getting massages at the time of the raid, were seated on the beds inside two adjacent rooms, giving their statements to the police officers.

A folder with sheets of paper, seemingly appointment logs, was also seen at the establishment's reception table.

Different appointment slots for the day were handwritten in two colours of ink — red and blue — beside the names of various masseuses working at the parlour.

Two e-vapourisers were also found in the outlet.

Members of the media were also invited to the second raid location in Yishun after police investigations concluded.

This was a larger massage establishment, occupying two floors. It also appeared more high-end compared to the first outlet, with wooden flooring and its interior painted in neutral shades.

This parlour only had private rooms, each with an attached shower area and one bed. There were three such rooms on the first floor and seven on the second.

While the area was generally quiet, some curious residents watched as the arrested women were taken into a waiting police van.

One Yishun resident, who wished to be known as Ang, told AsiaOne that she had been suspicious of one of the massage parlours as it would often stay open past its listed hours.

\"There (were) also a lot of women going in and out of there late at night,\" said the 25-year-old accountant who has been living in the area her whole life.

She also said that this massage establishment, where two employees were arrested, started operating about three months ago, while the other has been around for a few years.

Ang expressed concern regarding the alleged illicit activities, explaining that many families with young children live in the area as it was near schools.

Speaking to media, Woodlands Police Division Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police Tan Chi Chong said that four suspects had been arrested for allegedly providing sexual services under the guise of massages.

The fourth suspect was arrested at a different location in Yishun which was not disclosed to the media.

This raid was among a series of anti-vice operations at multiple locations between May 20 and June 30 by officers from the Specialised Crime Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), all seven Police Land Divisions and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), said the police on July 11.

During these raids, two men and 316 women aged between 19 and 63 were arrested for various offences.

The two men were arrested for allegedly abetting vice activities.

These anti-vice raids were part of islandwide multi-agency enforcement operations which took place from May 20 to July 7, involving all seven Police Land Divisions, Traffic Police and CID.

They were supported by officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau, ICA, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Health Sciences Authority, Singapore Customs and Land Transport Authority.

A total of 1,401 men and 1,044 women, aged between 15 and 84, are being investigated for various offences following the operations, which are part of the Singapore Police Force’s ongoing efforts to target illegal and criminal activities island-wide, said the police.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Gregory Tan, director of the police's operations department, said that the seven-week-long operation \"exemplifies the police's commitment to public security\".

\"Through effective collaboration with our law enforcement partners, we have taken decisive action against those who disregard the law. Our stance is unwavering: those who break the law will face firm enforcement action,\" he added.