Of the 202 men arrested at a Kuala Lumpur gay spa on Friday night (28 November), 171 Malaysians have been released on bail.
They were released after the Magistrate’s Court rejected the remand application because it was submitted late.
Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Datuk Fadil Marsus confirmed the release in a statement today (30 November) and explained why the remand application was delayed.
“There were many arrests. We had to process and classify them one by one, so the remand application was submitted late and the magistrate rejected it,” he said.
Authorities described the situation as a concerning social issue
Fadil said that of the 202 men, only 31 foreigners were remanded for two days. Among the 171 locals, 103 are Malay.
He explained that it was difficult to charge them under current laws. All those arrested are being investigated under Section 377/372 of the Penal Code, but no evidence supports that direction.
“Because every time there is exploitation, prostitution, or unnatural acts, there must be victims, but none of them declared themselves as a victim. So, the case is gone.”
Fadil said, adding that laws need to be revised or police will be unable to act.
The operation, launched at 8 PM on Friday, was carried out by Division D7 (Secret Societies, Gambling, and Vice) of the Kuala Lumpur Police Contingent (IPK), Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), and the Federal Territory Islamic Religious Department (JAWI), following two weeks of intelligence gathering. Fadil also confirmed that 17 civil servants were among those arrested at the spa in Chow Kit.
Those arrested included specialist doctors, teachers, deputy public prosecutors, diplomatic officers, and enforcement agency personnel.
