Singapore vice-related arrests islandwide police raids, Digi Mart USA News (Singapore): A total of 195 people have been arrested for their involvement in vice-related activities in an islandwide operation conducted between Sept. 14 and Oct. 30.
In a media statement on Nov. 8, the police said the eight men and 187 women, aged 18 to 63, were arrested for various offenses under the Women’s Charter 1961, the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act 1990, the Gambling Control Act 2022 and the Penal Code 1871. Police added that 16 of those arrested were vice abettors.
Mobile phones, computers, vice-related paraphernalia and cash worth over $150,000 were seized during the raids, while bank accounts containing more than $600,000 were frozen, the police said. Among those arrested was a 41-year-old Singaporean man who was charged in court on Oct. 23 for his involvement in facilitating vice activities.
Investigations into the others are ongoing, the police added. Under the law, those who use remote communication services with a Singapore link to offer sexual services in Singapore by a woman or girl in exchange for payment face imprisonment of up to five years, a fine of up to $100,000, or both.
Anyone who procures any woman for prostitution, knowingly lives on the earnings of another person’s prostitution, or knowingly solicits or receives a reward for providing any service that aids another person’s prostitution faces imprisonment of up to seven years and a fine of up to $100,000. Repeat offenders of either crime face imprisonment of seven to 10 years, a fine of up to $150,000, or both.
Commercial Affairs Department director Julius Lim said: “Vice syndicates are not simply a vice problem. Their activities are often linked to other forms of criminality and pose broader threats to public safety and security.
“As these syndicates increasingly exploit technology and operate across borders, our enforcement efforts must keep pace, both at home and in coordination with foreign partners. We will continue to disrupt these syndicates and bring those responsible to justice.”
