Bukit Aman criminal investigation department director Shuhaily Zain said three raids were conducted in the city from 1.30am, leading to the arrest of 39 Africans and two Pakistanis, aged between 25 and 56, Bernama reported.

“The operation also resulted in the rescue of a 28-year-old Nigerian woman, who is believed to be a victim of sexual exploitation,” he said in a statement.

Shuhaily said the victim and those arrested were taken to the Brickfields district police headquarters for further action while the other detainees were sent to the Dang Wangi police headquarters.

According to Shuhaily, the raids were carried out at two entertainment centres on Jalan Changkat Bukit Bintang and one in Sri Hartamas.

He said those arrested were being investigated under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act and Section 55D, Section 15(1) (c) and Section 6(1)(c) of the Immigration Act 1959/63.

He said the operation was carried out in collaboration with anti-human trafficking agencies under the home ministry and focused on identifying victims of human trafficking based on the National Guideline on Human Trafficking Indicators 2.0.

Several of the detained foreigners failed to produce passports or valid identification. Some claimed they had left their passports at their hotels or homes and turned hostile when asked to produce their documents, according to Bernama.