JOHOR BARU, March 5 — Police have arrested three men for the investigation into a fight involving several groups at a Vietnamese restaurant in Stulang Laut, which was captured on a video shared online yesterday.

The three men, aged between 35 and 67, were picked up at 6pm yesterday along Jalan Siu Chin here during an "Ops Cantas” exercise by a team from the Johor Baru South district police secret societies, gambling and vice (D7) unit.

A police source said investigators believe the suspects were involved in the fracas thought to have been started over a Vietnamese woman.

"Initial investigations revealed that the brawl involved several patrons of the Ha Long Bay Vietnamese restaurant along Jalan Ibrahim Sultan in Stulang Laut at about 2am yesterday,” the source told Malay Mail today.

The four-minute-26-second video showed a group arguing about a Vietnamese woman before the scene devolved into a melee of punches, smashed bottles and thrown chairs. A man was seen with facial injuries.

The video was shared on Facebook and WhatsApp. It was also posted on popular Johor Baru-based community information Facebook page, JB Tracer.

Meanwhile Johor police chief Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd said following the arrest of the trio, police conducted an operation in the city centre and Stulang Laut yesterday which resulted in the arrest of another 14 individuals, including eight women, to assist in investigations.

The suspects arrested are between their 20s and 50s, consisting of four local men, five Vietnamese men, seven Vietnamese women and an Indonesian woman.

Mohd Khalil said police identified the individuals involved in the fight based on closed-circuit television (CCTV) recordings.

"The operations ended at 4am this morning.

"All suspects will be remanded to assist in investigations,” he said.

In recent years, the Johor Baru city centre here has experienced an increase in Vietnamese nationals, especially women, working mainly in the food and beverage sectors as well as entertainment sectors.

Some have valid working permits, while others rely on their social visit passes and work illegally in massage parlours or karaoke outlets here.