Multi-agency operation in New Territories nets 17 in illegal worker, vice crackdown

A joint operation targeting illegal workers and vice activities in the New Territories resulted in the arrest of 17 people on Monday, police said.

Officers from the New Territories South emergency unit, Kwai Tsing, Tsuen Wan, Lantau, and Sha Tin districts, along with Immigration Department personnel, conducted raids under codenames CHAMPION and LANDMASTER at multiple crime black spots in the region.

Those arrested included five non-Chinese men, seven mainland Chinese men, four mainland Chinese women, and one local woman, aged between 25 and 57. They were arrested on suspicion of offences including "breach of conditions of stay," "uttering a false instrument," "using another person's identity card," "overstaying," "employing a person not lawfully employable," and "illegal immigrants taking employment and running a business."

Among them, four mainland Chinese women were arrested in Tsuen Wan on suspicion of "breach of conditions of stay" in connection with alleged prostitution activities. All detainees are being held for investigation and will be processed by police and relevant departments.