KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 27 — Police rescued 35 foreign women from the clutches of a human trafficking syndicate who forced them into vice activities in separate raids in Brickfields on Friday.

City police chief Datuk Amar Singh said eight members of the syndicate were arrested in the operation.

They included the syndicate’s 37-year-old mastermind, his 47-year-old assistant, three taxi drivers who transported the victims to meet clients, and minders of the premises where the women were held against their will.

“The mastermind was from India, while his female assistant was from Sri Lanka,” Amar said.

The women were lured to Malaysia on the pretext of being provided employment by a dubious agency promising them highly paid jobs as domestic maids and in the agriculture sector.

Once here, they were taken to separate apartments in Brickfields and kept close watch by minders who threatened them with bodily harm should they raise an alarm.

The victims, who hailed from India and Sri Lanka, aged between 25 and 35, were forced to engage in sexual activities with foreigners from Bangladesh, India and Nepal at prearranged locations.

Police got wind of the vice activities and launched Ops Atip Khas to track down the syndicate members and rescue the women.

Simultaneous raids were carried out at three apartment blocks off Jalan Syed Putra and Jalan Berhala in Brickfields which began at about 5am.

Police described the operation as a success as they not only rescued the women but also nabbed the culprits.

Interviews with the victims — 30 from India and five from Sri Lanka — brought to light tales of horror and exploitation.

“The mastermind and his assistant had coaxed the victims to leave their homeland with the promise of employment,” Amar said.

However, upon arrival they were taken to Brickfields, where they were “showcased” to intended customers.

Amar said the syndicate had rented the premises where the victims were housed for the past eight months, and focussed their attention on foreign workers in the city as their intended clients.

“The victims were obliged to entertain at least four clients each day and only earned RM30 commission per client, working for 12 hours from 8am each day,” he said.

They were also forced to pay an additional RM150 each month to the syndicate to cover expenses.

They could avoid detection as the victims remained indoors at night, and were shuttled around the city in taxis.

Amar said 14 of the victims had legitimate passports while the others did not have travel documents.

“The 14 who had travelled into the country were issued social entry passes, but these had expired some time ago,” he said.

Police seized three cars, 54 cellular phones, an assortment of jewellery, passports and RM15,000.

Investigations have been classified under human trafficking, and the syndicate members have been remanded to facilitate investigations.