SINGAPORE - In an islandwide raid that lasted 11 days, police arrested a man and 96 women aged between 23 and 50 years for vice offences in public flats, hotels and condominium units.

Police officers targeted more than 40 locations, including Yishun, Jurong and Chinatown, in the most extensive raid conducted in the heartland areas so far, according to local press reports.

Some of the women arrested were believed to be sub-tenants who had advertised their sexual services online.

Fifteen mobile phones and a camera were seized, according to a police statement on Friday (Jan 12).

The man, a Chinese national, was charged on Friday for crimes under the Women's Charter. Investigations against the women are ongoing.

Illegal brothel operators, when convicted, can be fined up to $10,000 and/or be sentenced to a jail term of up to five years. Any person who knowingly lives wholly or in part on the earnings from another person's prostitution can be fined up to $10,000 and be jailed up to five years.