Police arrested 195 people in islandwide enforcement operations targeting prostitution, seizing more than S$150,000 in cash and freezing bank accounts containing over S$600,000. A 41-year-old Singaporean man has been charged in court with allegedly facilitating prostitution online.
The Singapore Police Force said in a statement on Sunday (8 November) morning that the Criminal Investigation Department’s Specialised Crime Branch, supported by the seven police land divisions, conducted joint raids at 61 locations across Singapore between 14 September and 30 October.
The locations included massage establishments, entertainment outlets, beauty salons, hotels and residential units. A total of 195 people — eight men and 187 women aged between 18 and 63 — were arrested.
The 195 people were arrested for various offences under the Women’s Charter, the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, the Gambling Control Act and the Penal Code. Among them, 16 are suspected of facilitating prostitution.
Police also seized mobile phones, computers, items linked to prostitution and more than S$150,000 in cash during the operations. They also froze bank accounts containing more than S$600,000.
Among those arrested, a 41-year-old Singaporean man was charged in court on 23 October with allegedly using remote communication services to facilitate prostitution. Investigations into the other people arrested are ongoing.
Under Section 146A of the Women’s Charter, anyone who, in the course of business, uses a remote communication service with a Singapore link to arrange for a woman to provide paid sexual services in Singapore may be fined up to S$100,000, jailed for up to five years, or both. Repeat offenders may face a fine of up to S$150,000, up to seven years’ imprisonment, or both.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Lim Wei Yang, director of the Criminal Investigation Department, said vice syndicates were often linked to other criminal activities beyond prostitution, posing a broader threat to public safety.
He said that as these syndicates increasingly use technology and operate across borders, the police must keep pace by strengthening local enforcement and working with foreign law enforcement partners to continue dismantling the syndicates and bringing those involved to justice.
