TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- Two Vietnamese women, aged 25 and 37, are suspected of traveling to Taiwan under the guise of "sightseeing" to engage in prostitution, reported UDN.

Two Vietnamese women who had traveled to Taiwan in November were arrested for overstaying their e-visas and later confessed to officers that they had been working in the sex trade in northeastern Taiwan's Yilan County, announced police on Wednesday (Jan. 16).

In the wake of the mass exodus of 148 Vietnamese tourists from their tour groups last month, the National Immigration Agency's special operations unit in Yilan coordinated with Luodong Township police and the Yilan Military Police Corps in carrying out a joint inspection of gathering places for migrant workers.

During the search, the team found two Vietnamese women who had overstayed their visas in a house in Luodong Township in Yilan County. On Nov. 22, the two women had entered Taiwan for "sightseeing" via the "Kuan Hung Pilot Project" (觀宏專案) e-visa program, but are suspected to have been hired by another Vietnamese woman surnamed Pan (潘) to work in the illicit sex trade.

Police raid home where women were staying. (Luodong Township Police image)

During questioning by police, the women admitted that they indeed engaged in prostitution and were paid NT$1,000 (US$32) per client, though Pan was charging each customer NT$2,200. The women said that they had three to four clients a day.

When questioned by police, Pan denied being involved in sex trafficking and claimed that she was simply providing the women with lodging.

None of the women were charged with prostitution as they were not caught in the act. However, NIA is charging the two female travelers for violating the Immigration Act as they had overstayed their e-visas.