Aged between 32 and 45 years, the victims entered the country as tourists but were forced to become sex workers at the premises.

“Based on a complaint received, the seven Vietnamese women were reported to have been confined in the premises and beaten if they refused to serve customers.

“The place was tightly controlled by a Bangladeshi ‘captain’ and monitored around the clock with CCTV cameras,” the department said in a statement today.

According to the department, they had to break down the main door of the premises during the inspection as the “captain” refused to cooperate and attempted to escape through a window on the second floor of the building.

“Based on our interviews, the seven women’s passports were held by a person believed to be the agent who had offered them jobs.

“They were only paid RM60 per customer and their movements were strictly controlled, including being prohibited from going out to buy food and necessities,” read the statement.