64 mainland Chinese women held in vice raids at Kowloon hotels
64 arrested by police and immigration on suspicion of working as prostitutes at hotels
Police and immigration officers arrested 64 mainland women thought to be working as prostitutes in raids on two hotels in Tsim Sha Tsui and Yau Ma Tei yesterday.
The women, who entered the city as visitors, were selling sex and living in more than 20 rooms at the three-star hotels, police said.
"An initial investigation shows they were controlled by at least two prostitution syndicates who pocketed half of the money they charged their clients," a police officer said.
The syndicates are thought to have arranged for the women, aged between 17 and 32, to stay at the hotels, then posted their pictures and details on a sex website along with contact details.
Clients who made contact via the telephone number or on a smartphone messaging app were told to go to a specified hotel room for sex.
"They charged their clients from HK$1,000 to HK$1,200, but they had to pay half of the money to the syndicates," the officer said.