Maldives Immigration authorities and the Maldives Police Service have detained nine foreign nationals following a series of joint inspections targeting prostitution networks operating across the country.

The operation resulted in the arrest of seven women and two men, with the latter allegedly working as agents in the illegal operation.

In a statement released on its official X account, Maldives Immigration confirmed that three of the detained individuals have already been deported from the Maldives, while they are currently processing the deportation of the remaining six foreign nationals involved in the case.

The arrests come as part of ongoing efforts by Maldives Immigration to crack down on illegal prostitution networks. The Government has recently intensified its measures against irregular migration through targeted operations, including Operation Kurangi – a comprehensive biometric database of all foreign nationals in the Maldives.