Civil servants and teenagers are among 17 couples arrested during the statewide khalwat raid, dubbed Ops Tahun Baru, early today.
State Religious Affairs Commissioner Wan Mohd Wan Ibrahim said the suspects, aged between 17 and mid-40s, were picked up at numerous hotels for allegedly committing khalwat (close proximity) and having sex outside of marriage.
"These couples are using various tricks to fool the authorities. Only the women were found to have checked into the hotels, while their partners would only come later in the wee hours," he told reporters today.
He said some of them hailed from Selangor and Pahang and all of them would be investigated under Section 29 of the Syariah Crime Offences (Takzir) (Terengganu) Enactment 2001.
- Bernama