Girl, 15, detained with 14 others believed to be GROs, during raid at Serdang food court
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SERDANG: A 15-year-old girl standing in for her sick mother, believed to be a guest relations officer (GRO), was among 15 people detained in a police raid at a food court here late Friday.
"Aunty, what is your 15-year-old daughter doing working as a GRO?" a reporter asked the mother as police handcuffed her child during the raid in Serdang Raya.
The 53-year-old woman had no time to answer as she clung to her sobbing daughter, who was being hauled away with 14 other women into a Black Maria truck.
The girl's granduncle, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the mother worked as an entertainer at the food court.
She, along with the other women, would sing and dance on a stage as customers were charged RM10 each to give the women they liked a flower necklace. It is also believed that the women offered sexual services.
"Her mother is divorced and suffering from depression. Just for her medical bills, she has to spend more than RM400 a month and raise her daughter on her own. So she does this work.
"Today is her daughter's first day. Her mother came down with a cold and couldn't sing, and asked her daughter to replace her just for today. Of all the days for something like this to happen…" lamented the man, who is in his 70s.
The Serdang police raiding party, led by Deputy Supt Ramsay Anak Embol, saw the arrest of 15 women, believed to be GROs, around 10pm.
"Seven are locals, while another seven are Chinese nationals and another is from Thailand. We also arrested two Malaysian men, who are the owners of the premises," DSP Ramsay told reporters.
He said the owners were being investigated for running the premises and hiring "workers" without proper permits.
The foreign women were also found to be overstaying in the country, abusing their student or visitor's pass, and possessing expired passports.
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