Singapore police arrested five women, aged between 32 and 43, in a series of raids on massage parlours. On Monday, the authorities said in a press release that they conducted enforcement operations at 27 massage establishments located along Tanjong Pagar, Jalan Klapa, Kitchener Road, Coleman Street, North Bridge Road and Telok Blangah Crescent between Apr 3 and Apr 6.
During the operations, 13 outlets were found to be operating without a valid licence, while two licensed operators were found to have contravened licensing conditions.
Under the new Massage Establishments Act, the operators of the unlicensed parlours will face enhanced penalties, if convicted. First time offenders will be jailed up to two years, or a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.
The police said that they will also take action against landlords, who knowingly lease their premises to unlicensed massage establishment operators. The landlord will be notified when their tenant has been charged in court for operating an unlicensed outlet. Once the tenant is convicted, the landlord must require the tenant to hand over possession of the premises within a month.
If the landlord fails to do so, he may be jailed for up to two years, or a fine of up to S$10,000, or both. The police said that the investigations in this case are still going on.
