Criminal investigation chief Bakri Zinin says police found the women aged between 19 and 42 holed up in four apartment units in central Selangor state during a raid Friday.

He says three Ugandans — two women believed to be pimps and a man suspected of being a customer — have been detained.

He said in a statement received Tuesday that the 21 women were promised lucrative jobs in Malaysia as maids in homes and hotels but instead forced to become “sex slaves” to pay off travel fees and other costs totaling $7,000.

Human trafficking in Malaysia is punishable by up to 15 years in prison.