A Harian Metro reporter went undercover for two days and unearthed a hive of vice activities going on in a cafe along Kuala Lumpur's Jalan Pudu.

Young women in tight jeans or revealing dresses were seen doing the rounds in the mornings, offering more than breakfast, observed the reporter.

They appeared to be mostly China nationals and they were spotted in the cafe as early as 7am, with up to 30women working the area for several hours.

Some were bold enough to sit down without asking the unsuspecting patrons first.

The reporter noted that most patrons did not seem to bother with them. Many turned them away when the women pulled up a chair to sit at the table.

Conversations would begin innocently.

Bold moves

The women appeared to be friendly, sometimes touching the men's arms and putting their hands around their shoulders.

Some women were seen even putting a hand on the men's thighs while chatting and laughing.

A resident who wanted to be known only as Leong, 33, told the Malay-language daily that the women started appearing a year ago.

He said they will pile on the sex appeal and explicitly offer themselves as a mistress or for a fling.

He said: 'They usually ask for about RM100 ($41) for a session of sex. Some ask for their breakfast bill to be paid, too.

'It's easy to tell them apart from normal women - these women usually carry a shoulder-strap bag.'

At lunch time, too

He noticed them plying their trade from 7am, and especially around the peak hour periods of between 11am and 1pm.

He said: 'As a resident, I often bump into them in the lift with their clients, being led to their rental flats.'

Mr Leong also claimed to have seen many wives fighting with their husbands who visit the cafe.

He said that the existence of such women has destroyed the harmony of many families.

A Bangladeshi security guard also claimed to have seen the women.

He said they looked tall, slim and model-like.

Confirming what Mr Leong said, the security guard said the women charged a rate of RM100, but the amount is bargainable, he added.

A spokesman for the Immigration Department in KL said it was aware of the vice operations going on in the area and that many raids have been executed.

Unfortunately, even after hundreds of such women were rounded up and arrested, many returned to the area to continue their trade.

He said: 'Our investigations show that many of the women, especially from China, enter the country with legal documents and on social visit passes.

'They abuse this pass and use it to prostitute themselves.

'We are conducting raids from time to time to check on the situation. But we also need the public to relay information and tip us off about these activities.'

This article was first published in The New Paper on Dec 17, 2008.