An Indonesian woman has been fined RM5,000 by the Syariah High Court in Ayer Keroh, Melaka, after pleading guilty to prostitution and khalwat (close proximity) offences at a guesthouse in Bukit Cina.
Ika Sitepu admitted to one charge of prostitution under Section 75 of the Melaka Syariah Offences Enactment 1991 and another charge of khalwat under Section 53(2) of the same enactment.
According to the first charge, Ika had offered sexual services to a 44-year-old non-Muslim man who was not her husband at a guesthouse in Melaka Tengah at about 3pm on Oct 11.
The second charge involved committing khalwat with the same man at the same place and time.
Both were detained by enforcement officers from the Melaka Islamic Religious Department (JAIM) during an anti-vice operation. Officers reportedly found a used condom in a plastic bag near the bed and RM60 in cash on a dressing table.
Ika later admitted to offering a massage lasting about 15 minutes for RM40, with an additional RM20 charged for sexual services.
Investigations also found that she had entered Malaysia on Sept 1 using a tourist pass and had been working at the guesthouse for about two weeks.
During mitigation, Ika, who was unrepresented in court, appealed for a lighter sentence, saying she had three children to care for following her husband’s death.
However, Melaka chief Syarie prosecutor Wan Mahyuddin Wan Muhammad urged the court to impose a penalty that reflected the seriousness of the offences and served as a deterrent.
The court fined Ika RM3,000 for prostitution and RM2,000 for khalwat. She was ordered to serve six months in jail for each charge if she failed to pay the respective fines.
She subsequently paid both fines.
