JOHOR BAHARU, Feb 15 – The Johor Islamic Religious Department (JAIJ) detained 11 couples, allegedly for committing ‘khalwat’ (close proximity) in a Valentine’s Day operation, ‘Ops Mawar Merah’, which ended early Sunday. JAIJ assistant enforcement officer, Hafiz Abd Rahman said the operation, which began at 4 pm Saturday and ended about 4 am Sunday, focused on hotels.
He said 30 raids were conducted in the operation which involved 20 personnel from the JAIJ enforcement division. Among those detained were a 32-year-old woman and her newborn baby, believed to have been born out of wedlock, Hafiz told reporters after the operation.
