Maldives Immigration detained six foreigners involved in sex work in the country.
Maldives Immigration has detained a group of expatriates who were involved in a wide prostitution network.
While a total of five female and one male expatriates were arrested, Immigration said they were discovered during a special operation carried out in August and September targeting prostitution businesses.
While the nationalities of the individuals have not been revealed, the agency said three of the six individuals have already been deported following investigations. The remaining three individuals are also in the process of being deported, they said.
Although there are many massage parlours claiming to provide professional massage services, the establishments are often accused of being involved in prostitution. Some expatriates who work in these establishments even advertise their services on social media with their photos and contact numbers.
While operations are carried out from time to time to put a stop to these illegal businesses, Maldives Immigration is also on a mission to solve the issue of undocumented migrants and those who run businesses in the country illegally. As such, the agency has been conducting raids in residential areas of migrant workers.
Since the operations started, over 3,000 expatriates have been deported. Authorities claim these raids have also resulted in some undocumented expatriates to flee the capital and lay low within the atolls.
The Family Court of Maldives has also reported that since deportations began, the number of foreign men marrying local women has also increased. According to local regulations, foreigners who marry Maldivians get a long term resident visa to stay in the country.
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