Local syndicates are targeting Indian girls as young as 16 by luring them to take pictures or videos of themselves naked, and then blackmailing the girls into having sex with them.
The syndicates were mostly based in Rawang, Selangor, with one or two in Johor, said MIC Youth secretary C. Sivarajah.
Based on its findings, the youth wing said that some of the groups were targeting schoolgirls as young as 16, as well as factory and girls working in supermarkets, promising them love and marriage before duping them into posing naked.
"After taking their nude pictures and videos, the girls were made to do whatever the guy wanted. Otherwise, their pictures would be uploaded on the Internet or circulated to others," he told the New Straits Times in an interview.
The youth wing had also received cases of girls being forced into prostitution after their nude pictures were taken.
He recalled a case last year where a 17-year-old girl was asked by her boyfriend to pose naked, for a person said to be a loan shark, as payment for money loaned.
"The girl, wanting to prove her love, agreed. The guy who had pretended to be a loan shark, later blackmailed her to have sex with him if she did not want her pictures to be circulated. It was only after he made her have sex with five other men that the girl realised that her boyfriend was part of the syndicate. When she refused to do it any more, they released her pictures."
He related another case early this year where three Form Five girls were befriended by a man from one of the syndicates, promising them love and marriage and persuaded them to pose naked.
"He later took them to Penang for a holiday and there threatened to distribute their pictures if they did not engage in sexual acts. He later sold them to a prostitution ring there."
Sivarajah said the youth wing had tried to help the victims by approaching and negotiating with the men who took the pictures.
"But by the time the victims came to us for help, it would have been too late and their pictures would already be circulating via MMS (multimedia messaging service)."
He added that there have been cases of parents complaining that police allegedly did not take their complaints seriously.
"We urge the police to take this matter seriously. We are willing to work with anyone who can help solve this issue, which is increasingly becoming a big problem among young people today.
"It is not difficult to trace or hunt the men behind the pictures and videos. The question is, are the authorities willing to do it?"
He said amendments needed to be made to Sections 211 and 233 of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Act 1998, and Section 292 of the Penal Code.
"We need heavier punishments like a longer jail term or even caning for those charged under these acts."
He said parents also needed to warn their children of such dangers and tactics by unscrupulous men who prey on vulnerable women.
