Fourteen Thai women, who were illegally employed at a well-known spa in Kollupitiya, Colombo 3, had been nabbed by the Immigration and Emigration Department flying squad yesterday.

The investigation unit, on a tip-off, raided the three-storied building on the Marine Drive in Kollupitiya and took 14 women, who were aged from 20 to 45 years.

A senior official at the Department told the Daily Mirror that most of the foreigners had arrived in the country recently and had illegally been employed at the spa, only with their 30-day visitor visa.

The local manager or the owner of the business had not been present at the time of the detection and Immigration officials had notified him to report to the head office to give a statement.

According to arrested women Rs.7, 000 upwards had been charged to their clients and the spa management had paid them up to Rs. 200, 000 as monthly salary.

The immigration department sources said the same place had been raided by Kollupitiya Police last month and a number of Thai women were taken into custody, but the place seemed to have resumed its operations shortly after.

Senior Assistant Controller M. G. V. Kariyawasam and Assistant Controller Prasanna Kumara and a team of Immigration and Emigration Investigation Division are conducting inquiries on the instructions of Immigration and Emigration Controller Border and Visa Chandana Hettiarachchi.

The arrested women are expected to be removed from the country today following the inquiries.(Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana)