JOHOR BARU, Feb 15 — The Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAIJ) detained 11 couples, allegedly for committing khalwat (close proximity) in a Valentine’s Day operation, ‘Ops Mawar Merah’, which ended early today.

JAIJ assistant enforcement officer Hafiz Abd Rahman said the operation, which began at 4pm yesterday and ended about 4am today, focused on hotels.

He said 30 raids were conducted in the operation which involved 20 personnel from the JAIJ enforcement division.

Among those detained were a 32-year-old woman and her newborn baby, believed to have been born out of wedlock, he told reported after the operation today. — Bernama